Hungary caught Kazakhstan napping to record its first victory at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. After heavy losses in their first two games, the Magyars started on time here. A goal after 15 seconds from Janos Hari, and later a goal 14 seconds into the third period, laid the foundations for a 4-2 win.

Hari finished with 3 (1+2) points, the best single-game return for a Hungarian player at this level since 1939. Rookie forward Doman Szongoth had an assist – a rare distinction for a 16-year-old. And goals from Istvan Terbocs, Vilmos Gallo and Peter Vincze secured a first win in regulation for Hungary since 2016.



“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Hungarian forward Csanad Erdely. This three points is huge for us. And I think it was a great team effort, if you look at our penalty killing, how we sacrificed ourselves, and how our goalie was making some great saves and giving us momentum. We scored on the power play too. I think that’s an overall great achievement by the whole team. I’m really proud of the guys!”

Defender Tamirlan Gaitamirov was succinct in his summary of a disappointing evening for Kazakhstan. “Just a bad game,” he said. “We didn’t play. That’s it.”

Any latecomers at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning likely missed Hungary’s instant opener. Kazakh goalie Maxim Pavlenko came a long way from his net and lost his stick, leaving him stranded as Hari steered Henrik Nilsson’s feed into a wide-open net. Pavlenko looked hopefully for an interference call, but the officials weren’t interested when the contact was so far from the paint.

“We knew we needed an early goal, so I was really happy for that,” said Erdely. “It gives the younger guys a bit of confidence at the start. And of course, for us, having two early goals like that, it really puts you in a good spot. But we also were fighting at the end there. It's just great for the whole team.”

Hungary had not held a lead in regulation time at an IIHF World Championship since that 5-2 win over Belarus in 2016. And Kazakhstan almost cancelled it out within moments when Arkadi Shestakov got to the net front and applied a tip to Samat Daniyar’s feed. However, while his touch took it past goalie Bence Balizs, it also went beyond the far post.

Although these two teams are not among the more heralded competitors in Herning, they continued to produce entertaining hockey. Hungary was close to extending its lead midway through the session when Erdely pounced on a misplaced pass. He raced clear of the Kazakh defence but could not get his shot on target as Pavlenko made himself big in front of the net.

But a second goal was not long in coming: a sharp reaction to a face-off win in the Hungarian half saw teenager Szongoth release Bence Horvath. He was joined by Terbocs, who took over the rush and finished from close range at the second attempt. Hungary up 2-0, 90 seconds until the intermission.

“It’s a huge thing for Hungarian hockey that we are developing players who can come up early at this age,” Gallo noted of this year’s youthful roster. “We also want to see them succeed abroad, like in Finland or in the other countries where they play. It’s a good thing for us, with all the players, to have the leadership and set the tone in Hungary and give them the culture we have. And of course, our heart is always Hungarian.”

Again, Shestakov almost found an instant response to a Hungarian goal when he got on the rebound from Valeriy Orekhov’s point shot. This time, though, he was unable to lift the puck over Balizs’ pads.

The teams continued to trade chances in the middle frame. Hungary might have had a third when a big rebound off the boards – something of a trademark of this arena – fell to Vincze with time and space in front of the net. He unleashed a blast, but Pavlenko got right behind it.

Then came a Kazakh power play. First we saw an attempt to score ugly, with a scrum of players piling onto the crease. Then came a prettier, and more successful effort from Nikita Mikhailis. He produced a fantastic snipe from the right-hand dot, lasering the puck over the glove to the top corner.

And late in the second, Mikhailis had a great chance to tie the game when he got clean through on Balizs’ net. This time, though, a huge blocker save preserved Hungary’s lead. Kazakhstan, which had hopes of a victory tonight that might serve as a springboard for bigger things, would never get as close to saving the game again.

Mikhaillis’ near miss sounded the alarm for the Magyars, and they responded by catching Kazakhstan napping again at the start of the third. This time it took just 14 seconds for Gallo to restore that two-goal cushion. His initial play got the puck to the paint, Hari saw his shot padded away and Gallo collected it at the back door to finish what he started.

Rattled, the Kazakhs ran into penalty trouble and Vincze added a power play goal three minutes later to put Hungary in complete control. Hari’s assist gave him a three-point game – something no Hungarian has achieved at this level since 1939.

Kazakhstan still posed an intermittent threat. Mikhailis hit the crossbar midway through the final frame. But hopes of a concerted fightback were undermined by three penalties in the third period, sapping Oleg Bolyakin’s team of momentum and helping Hungary run down the clock. There was a late power play goal from Orekhov to add a little intrigue to the closing moments, but with less than a minute to find two more goals the Kazakhs were always chasing an impossible dream.

Gergely Majoross and his team now face Czechia on Thursday. That will be a tough test, but tonight’s win gives real impetus to Hungary’s survival hopes. Tomorrow, meanwhile, the battle to escape the basement continues as winless Denmark hopes to add to Kazakhstan’s concerns.