Ukraine wins World Championship Division I Group B

Ukraine defeated host Lithuania 4-1 in the last game of the 2024 IIHF World Championship Division I Group B in Vilnius, capping off a perfect 5-0 record to top the group and earn a promotion to Group A next season. It will be Ukraine's first appearance in the second flight since 2017. 

It was a dominant performance by the Ukrainians, who outscored their opponents 31-2 over the five games. Besides Lithuania, the other teams were Estonia, China, Spain and the Netherlands. 

Winger Alexander Peresunko led the team in scoring with 11 points, followed by defenseman Igor Merezhko with nine. Some of the team's players play in Ukraine's domestic league, which somehow manages to operate in these difficult times. Some of their roster also plays on clubs in Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Finland, Hungary and the Netherlands. 

Global hockey fans aren't likely to recognize too many of the names on the current Ukrainian roster, but the bench staff is another story. The team's head coach is Dmitri Khristich and Alexander Godynyuk is an assistant - both former NHLers. 

Once a bigger player in the hockey world, Ukraine played in the elite division of the World Championships for nine consecutive years from 1999 to 2007. Their best finish was ninth in 2002, just missing out on the quarterfinals. Coach Khristich was a member of that team.