Thailand defeated Iran to win the 2023 IIHF women's Asia & Oceania Championships.
Thailand defeated Iran to win the 2023 IIHF women's Asia & Oceania Championships.
Thailand's women's hockey team captured the 2023 Asia & Oceania Championships on home ice defeating Iran 3-1 in the gold medal game.
Supitsara Thamma opened the scoring for Thailand 1:25 into the game. Thamma attempted to put a puck into the slot from behind the goal line, but after it hit the skate of an Iranian defender, Thamma stepped out and beat Arezou Azadi.
In the second period, Iran got on the board as Zahra Rezaei Jafari scored to knot the game at 1-1. Rezaei Jafari chipped a puck over the shoulder of Thailand's netminder Thamida Kunthadapakorn who was down looking to cover the puck.
Heading to the third period tied 1-1, Thailand's captain Thipwarintorn Yannakornthanapunt scored a pair to lift Thailand to the Asia & Oceania title. Yannakornthanapunt broke in alone on her first goal scoring top shelf. On her second of the period, a goal mouth scramble ended up on Yannakornthanapunt's stick, where she beat a sprawling Azadi to make it 3-1, which is how the game would end.
Iran outshot Thailand 29-22 but could not solve Kunthadapakorn.
Iran and Thailand both entered the championship game undefeated. Thailand had outscored their opponents 51-3 going a perfect 5-0 to win gold, while Iran outscored their opponents 91-4 finishing with a 5-1 record.
The Asia & Oceania Championships were Iran's women's hockey team's debut in a sanctioned IIHF tournament. Also making their debut at the tournament was Kyrgyzstan.
Iran's Fatemeh Esmaeili finished as the tournament's leading scorer with 17 goals and 26 points in six games. In one fewer game, Thailand's Thipwarintorn Yannakornthanapunt was second with 11 goals and 25 points.