The Rising Sun shines over Tallinn

Perfect record for Japan, which dominated the Division 1b tournament in Tallinn deservedly earning promotion to Division 1a, from where it had been missing for 7 years.

In recent tournaments the Japanese have always finished in second or third place, never managing to complete the work. This year, on the other hand, they had no rivals, clearly surpassing all the other participants, showing off a very fast game but with good physicality and very interesting players: next to the already well-known Yoshiroh Hiranoh, the true leader of the team, the surprise was the young striker Teruto Nakajima, 21 years old from Toyo University, author of 6 goals and two assists. With this roster the Japanese will not be passing through to the higher category.

Ukraine played a good tournament, always supported by a good number of fans, scoring 14 goals against Holland and showing off a very effective power play. But in the decisive match there was no story, even if the yellow and blues can complain for two posts hit and a goal disallowed by the referees after a review. Taking into account the political situation, having presented a competitive team that came one step away from promotion is already a success.

Awards:

Best Goalie: Yuta Narisawa - Japan

Best Defender: Igor Merezhko - Ukraine

Best Forward: Yushiroh Hirano - Japan

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