Kazakhstan began its title defense with a comfortable win over Korea while Japan beat host China in the second edition of the IIHF Ice Hockey Men’s Asia Championship.

In Game 1, Kazakhstan downed Korea 4-2 while Japan beat China 4-1 in the second game.

The IIHF launched the tournament to give Asia’s leading hockey nations increased opportunities on the international stage.

Kazakhstan won the inaugural Asia Championship in Almaty in 2024 by beating Japan 5-1 in the final. 

All games, including replays, are available on IIHF.tv.

Here’s more on both games.

Game 1: Kazakhstan 4-Korea 2

Defenseman Ivan Stepanenko scored a hat trick to power the defending champions to the decisive victory.

Stepanenko opened the scoring midway through the first period when he jumped on a deflected shot and ripped a slap shot from the face-off circle past Korean goalkeeper Yeonseung Lee low on the glove side.

Stepanenko then doubled the advantage just 2 minutes, 40 seconds into the second period on a nifty 3-on-2.

Maxim Musorov worked the puck to Alexandr Borissevich who slid a pass across the goalmouth to a streaking Stepanenko who tapped in past the outstretched leg of Lee.

Just over 10 minutes later, Korea broke through and cut the advantage to 2-1 with a power play goal.

With Batyrlan Muratov in the penalty box for hooking, Kim Sangyeob beat Kazakh goalie Roman Kalmykov low on the glove side with a wrist shot from the high slot.

Korea’s Minwan Kang took a five-minute penalty late in the second period and it cost his team. 

With over four minutes of power play time to open the third, the defending champions took advantage when Musorov skated behind the net and fed a pass to captain Roman Starchenko who rang a wrist shot in off the far post to make it 3-1.

Stepanenko sealed the win and completed his hat trick at 7:56 of the third with a shot from the point through traffic that beat Lee. 

It appeared there may have been goaltender inference on the play but after reviewing the video the officials ruled the goal would stand.

Kang cut the deficit to 4-2 on a power play goal with just under two minutes left but that was as close as the Koreans would get.
 

Game 2: Japan 4-China 1

Japan came out flying and had an 8-0 shot advantage before China fired its first puck on goal.

The game was also a showdown between two teams coached by Canadians _ Jarrod Skalde for Japan and Perry Pearn for China. Pearn formally coached Japan.

Despite being badly outplayed, China struck first on a power play at 14:48 of the first.

With Rin Takada in the penalty box for tripping, Sixiong Jiang passed to Ruinan Yan who shot from close range then picked up his own rebound and tucked it past Japan goaltender Issa Otsuka.

Japan outshot China 16-5 in the first period and Chinese goaltender Shifeng Chen had to be sharp.

With Japan dominating play and badly outshooting their opponents, it was only a matter of time for the tables to turn.

Yutaka Toko equalized for the visitors midway through the second when the defenseman took a pass just inside China’s blue line, deked around a defender and rifled a low shot that beat Chen on the stick side. Japan took its first lead with just over six minutes left in the second period.

Yuhang Han went off for tripping giving Japan a power play opportunity and they took advantage.

Defenseman Koki Yoneyama took a slap shot from inside the blue line. Chen made the initial save but Taisetsu Ushio swatted in the rebound as he was falling to the ice to make it 2-1.

Japan captain Teruto Nakajima made it 3-1 just 14 seconds into the third period.

Yu Sato fired a puck from the slot that glanced off the glove of Chen, allowing Nakajima to sweep it in home from the side of the net.

Nakajima put the result beyond doubt with his second of the night with just over 12 minutes remaining, jamming in a rebound off a shot from Ryosuke Miura.

The final tally in shots on goal was 43-21 in favor of Japan.