And then we came to the end. The IIHF Division 1B World Championship final day brought with it big emotions as the gap between winning and losing was as wide as it can get.

Korea – Lithuania 1-4 (0-1, 0-2, 1-1)

In a winner-take-all game between Lithuania and Korea, it was Lithuania who came out on top and secured a promotion to Division 1A for 2026. A 4-0 win over Korea capped an excellent tournament in which Lithuania only allowed three goals.  
 
Mark Kaleinikovas scored one and added two assists, team captain Nerijus Alisauskas picked collected three points, and goaltender Laurynas Lubys made 25 for Lithuania. Lubys posted an impressive 97.0 save percentage in five games. 
 
“This is a team achievement. We played strong defense throughout the whole tournament and didn’t concede a single goal while shorthanded. The entire team worked hard, blocked shots, followed the game plan,” Lubys said. 
 
The first period was even with both teams trying to avoid mistakes that could become costly.
 
Halfway through the period, a good Lithuanian forecheck yielded results when Ilja Cetvertak intercepted a pass behind the Korean net. The puck bounced straight to Aivaras Bendzius who quickly fired it into the net to give Lithuania an edge early in the game at 12.51.
 
Korea came to the second period determined to tie the game. They forechecked hard willing to do anything to score. Lithuania defense could match their determination, though, and when Korean captain Sangwook Kim was sent to the penalty box for roughing, Lithuania got their chance. 
 
Just 21 seconds later Mark Kaleinikovas deflected Lithuanian captain Nerijus Alisauskas point shot to make it 2-0 at 7.51. Ugnius Cizas also picked up an assist. 
 
Korea outshot Lithuania 11-7 in the second period but couldn’t solve Lubys. 
 
Unfortunately for Korea, Lithuania used their chanced effectively. With less than two minutes remaining in the period, Kaleinikovas skated up the right wing and entered the Korean zone with speed. He found Alisauskas who had joined the rush, and the Lithuanian team captain coolly sent the puck to Paulius Gintautas who made it 3-0 from the doorstep at 18.11. 
 
And when Lithuania got another power play opportunity eight minutes into the third period, Alisauskas, Cizas and Kaleinikovas got to work. Alisauskas and Cizas set it up and Kaleinikovas fired a one-time from the left point, and while Ha got a piece of it, he couldn’t keep it out. With 11.23 remaining in the game, Lithuania had a four-goal lead. 
 
Korea ended Lubys’s shutout attempt with 3-36 remaining when Yoon Seok Kang grabbed a rare rebound and fired a wrister into the Lithuanian net. The assist was Sangwook Kim’s tournament leading eighth point.
 
But it was no consolation. At the buzzer, Lithuanian helmets and gloves flew in the air and the player jumped on their goaltender – who was named their best player in the tournament – celebrating their promotion.
 
"This is my second gold medal with the national team – the first was [on home ice in] Kaunas [in 2018], and now here in Estonia. There’s a big difference, though. In 2018 we had more veteran players, and here mostly young guys. Both medals are very sweet, and I'm really happy about them,” said Cizas. 

Spain – Croatia 2-1 OT (1-1, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)

The stakes were high in the game between Spain and Croatia. The winner would secure a spot in Division 1B next season, and the losing team would be relegated to Division IIA. 
 
Spain won the game in OT, with Jaime Capillas scoring the game-winner at 4.05. 
 
“I don’t know what I felt when I saw the puck go in, I have no words,” Capillas said. “What a game.”
 
He also scored Spain’s first goal in the first period. Croatia’s goaltender Vilim Rosandic made 35 saves. 
 
“We started the tournament slow but played better and reached our goal which was to stay in Division 1B. Next time will be the third straight year in this division. Hopefully kids who love hockey in Spain see this and dream even bigger,” said Spain’s captain Alejandro Carbonell.  
 
Croatia took command of the game by scoring a goal in the first shift of the game. Borna Rendulic beat Barbo from the doorstep just 37 seconds into the game.  
 
Spain took over as the period progressed – and outshot Croatia 11-7 – but it was an individual effort that put the on the board. Jaime Capillas carried the puck into the Croatian zone, made a slight move and fired a laser that beat Rosandic on the short side to tie the game at 17.35. Oriol Rubio picked up an assist. 
 
The second period was more open, as the teams traded chances, but both goalies stood tall and kept the opponents off the board, setting up a thrilling third period.        
 
Spain had the game, also partly due to a Croatian double minor halfway through the period.  Croatia managed to kill the penalty, but they were on their heels for the rest of the period. 
 
Another Croatian penalty gave Spain yet another power play opportunity with three minutes remaining, and while Spain did create several dangerous chances, but Rosandic kept the pucks out of the net, and the game went to overtime. 
 
The tension was palpable.  
 
The teams held on to the puck in overtime, looking for the perfect opportunity. And just as it looked as if a shootout was going to be deciding the winner, Capillas turned on the jets, and scored a carbon copy of his first goal. 
 
“I saw some daylight between the defenseman’s legs and tried to use him as a screen,” Capillas said. 
 
He fired a blistering wrister from the top of the circle, beating Rosandic on the glove side, and started the Spanish celebrations.
 
They’ll be returning to the Division 1B tournament in 2026. 
 
“What a feeling. What people don’t always realize that we come from the Spanish league which is an amateur league and pay against pro players. This is a dream come true,” Carbonell said. 

Estonia – China 5-0 (1-0, 2-0, 2-0)

In the last game of the tournament, Estonia and China played for third place. The home crowd was more than interested in cheering their boys to a medal finish.  
 
They got what they wanted as Estonia beat China 5-0 and claimed third place in the tournament. Morten Jurgens scored one and added two assists for Estonia. Villem-Henrik Koitmaa recorded a 13-save shutout, China’s goaltender Shifeng Chen made 43 saves. 

"We all felt that we needed to show we can play better than yesterday, and the players' response was fantastic. We're very happy with the bronze. We have young players who will be even better next year, but right now, I am going to just enjoy this moment," said Estonia coach Petri Skriko. 
 
Like in their game against Korea, Estonia came out roaring and scored early. 
 
Less than eight minutes into the period Erik Potsinok skated around the Chinese net and sent a gorgeous no-look backhand pass to Jurgens who took a shot, and Marek Potsinok took care of the rebound to put Estonia ahead in the game at 7.16. 
 
Estonia outshot China 18-3 in the first period but managed to score only once.
 
Estonian dominance continued in the second period – it took China eight minutes to record a shot on goal – but so did, to the dismay of the home crowd, their ineffectiveness in front of the net. 
 
It was only a matter of time before the goals would come. 
 
With 6.08 remaining in the second period, Estonia finally cracked the code. Team captain Rooba and Maksim Burkov assisted and Jurgens scored from the doorstep, on power play. It was Estonia’s fifth power play goal in the tournament. 
 
Four minutes later Rooba set up another goal, and this time it was his 18-year-old linemate David Timofejev who was the beneficiary of a Rooba pass as he redirected one in from the doorstep to make it 3-0 at 17.55. 
 
Estonia outshot China 21-6 in the period. 
 
In the second shift of the third period, Jurgens climbed up the wall and cut top the middle. His pass found Erik Potsinok all alone at the far post, and Potsinok could slam the puck into an empty Chinese net to extend the Estonian lead to four goals at 1.37. Vadim Vasjonkin also picked up an assist. 
 
With 12.38 remaining in the game, Estonia set up in the Chinese zone and cycled the puck as if on power play. Finally, Burkov found an avenue to the middle of the ice, and he beat Chen with a wrister from the slot. 
 
Final score 5-0. Bronze to Estonia.