{ "blocks": [ { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "In the last game of the four-team tournament, Kazakhstan defeated Japan 5-1 on home ice in Almaty to win the 2025 IIHF Asia Championship. Captain Yevgeni Rymarev led the offense with a two-goal performance. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Kazakhstan and Japan finished tied in points with six after each team won twice and lost once. Kazakhstan gets first place based on winning the head-to-head record. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "In Saturday’s earlier game, China defeated South Korea 2-1 in overtime, with Zesen Zang scoring the winning goal 1:45 into the extra frame. That accounted for China’s only points of the tournament. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Wednesday, Nov. 6:
Japan 4 - China 1
South Korea 4 - Kazakhstan 1" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Friday, Nov. 8:
Japan 5 - South Korea 2
Kazakhstan 6 - China 1
" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Saturday, Nov. 9:
China 2 - South Korea 1 (OT)
Kazakhstan 5 - Japan 1" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The Kazakhs’ only loss came in their opening game on Wednesday, 4-1 at the hands of the Koreans. They rebounded with a 6-1 win over China on Friday, led by three goals and an assist by Dmitri Breus." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Also on Friday, the Japanese won their second straight, 5-2 over Korea, proving their 4-3 win at the World Championship Division I Group A six months earlier was no fluke. Taiga Irikura had three goals and one assist." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Irikura, Rymarev, Kazakshtan’s Yevgeni Korolinskiy and Japan’s Chikara Hanzawa all had five points in the tournament, to share the scoring lead. Breus led all defensemen with four points." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "All four teams iced rosters roughly similar to those that represent the countries at IIHF World Championships or Olympic qualifying tournaments." } } ] }

Kazakhstan Beats Japan To Win Asia Championship