Korea is moving up to Division 1 after winning gold at the IIHF U-18 women's Division IIA World Championships this week in Turkey. After opening the tournament with a 3-2 shootout win over Latvia, Korea swept through the remainder of the competition beating Netherlands 5-0, New Zealand 10-0, Turkey 2-0, and Kazakhstan 5-1. It's an immediate bounce back for Korea who was relegated from the Division 1B tournament last season. Netminder Min Seo Kim, a 2011 newcomer on the U-18 stage was named the tournament's top goaltender in Korea's crease posting a 4-0-0 record with a 0.82 GAA and .941 save percentage. Every member of Korea's roster will be eligible to return next year to the Division 1B competition, and all but two members will be eligible for two more seasons at the U-18 level as the majority of Korea's roster was composed of 2010 and 2011 born players. Offensively Korea was led by defender Ji Won Choi who had 10 points in five games, and forward Hyeon Seo Jang who scored five goals and nine points in five games. Forward Sofiya Muravyeva of Kazakhstan was named the tournament's Top Forward after leading the event in scoring with 10 goals and 21 points in five games, while Turkish blueliner Tan Goksal was named Top Defender. At the other end of the spectrum in the tournament, New Zealand suffered relegation and will fall to the Division IIB tournament next season, an event which is currently underway in South Africa. Australia was recently relegated to the Division IIA tournament for next season. Sophie Jaques discusses the importance of diversity in women's hockey
