[MakkabI]
March 15th, 2005, 04:55 AM
A tired, but hardly dispirited, Israeli national junior hockey team captured a well earned bronze medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World under-18 Division III Championships last week in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Coach Jean Perron, a Stanley Cup-winning coach with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, was unable to lead the youthful squad into Division II for next year, but the bronze medal is an achievement.
The team was, on average, one to two years younger than gold medal-winner Australia, Belgium (silver medalists), New Zealand, Turkey and Bulgaria. Australia moves up to Division II next year while Bulgaria, the last place finisher, will drop to the lowest division.
In its first game against New Zealand, which finished in fourth place, Israel crafted a fine 7-2 win, including an outstanding performance from goalie Ilan Kilimnik, who faced 24 shots. Oren Zamir and Yogev Shamir tallied twice, with singles by Michael Horwitz, Eli Sherbatov and Itamar Abugov.
Their second and toughest game was a 7-2 loss against older, larger and more experienced Australia. The Israelis even managed to take a short-lived 2-1 lead into the second frame on early goals by Zamir and Sherbatov, but the Aussie strength eventually wore them down.
In the third game, against Belgium, Israel once again took a 2-1 lead on goals by Zamir and Shamir and held it well into the second period, but eventually succumbed by a 5-2 margin.
Against host Bulgaria the pent up frustration of the previous two losses was released with a 16-1 thrashing, with Zamir and Michael Horwitz leading the onslaught with four goals apiece.
The final match, a 9-0 turkey shoot over Turkey, clinched the bronze. Horwitz led the team effort with a hat trick, and Zamir doubled.
Zamir, who is on scholarship at a Canadian hockey academy, was the leading point-scorer at the championships, with ten goals and seven assists, followed by Horwitz with eight tallies and six assists.
Shamir and Sherbatov were also amongst the scoring leaders, while the outstanding efforts of Kilimnik between the pipes, particularly against the powerhouse teams, kept the scores from being much higher. Raviv Bull, the team's spark plug in recent seasons, passed the leadership torch to Zamir, contributing three goals.
"Special praise must be given, not only to the players, who gave their all in a team effort in winning the bronze medal," said Alan Maislin, the chairman of the Israel Ice Hockey Federation, from Bulgaria, "but also to Sergei Matin, the president of the IIHF; Boris Mindel, the coach who works with them tirelessly on a day-to-day basis at the Canada Centre in Metulla; and Eddy Ravniaga, the Ma'alot coach.
"It is their daily efforts that have developed this fine young team, and they will be a force to contend with next year."
Coach Jean Perron, a Stanley Cup-winning coach with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, was unable to lead the youthful squad into Division II for next year, but the bronze medal is an achievement.
The team was, on average, one to two years younger than gold medal-winner Australia, Belgium (silver medalists), New Zealand, Turkey and Bulgaria. Australia moves up to Division II next year while Bulgaria, the last place finisher, will drop to the lowest division.
In its first game against New Zealand, which finished in fourth place, Israel crafted a fine 7-2 win, including an outstanding performance from goalie Ilan Kilimnik, who faced 24 shots. Oren Zamir and Yogev Shamir tallied twice, with singles by Michael Horwitz, Eli Sherbatov and Itamar Abugov.
Their second and toughest game was a 7-2 loss against older, larger and more experienced Australia. The Israelis even managed to take a short-lived 2-1 lead into the second frame on early goals by Zamir and Sherbatov, but the Aussie strength eventually wore them down.
In the third game, against Belgium, Israel once again took a 2-1 lead on goals by Zamir and Shamir and held it well into the second period, but eventually succumbed by a 5-2 margin.
Against host Bulgaria the pent up frustration of the previous two losses was released with a 16-1 thrashing, with Zamir and Michael Horwitz leading the onslaught with four goals apiece.
The final match, a 9-0 turkey shoot over Turkey, clinched the bronze. Horwitz led the team effort with a hat trick, and Zamir doubled.
Zamir, who is on scholarship at a Canadian hockey academy, was the leading point-scorer at the championships, with ten goals and seven assists, followed by Horwitz with eight tallies and six assists.
Shamir and Sherbatov were also amongst the scoring leaders, while the outstanding efforts of Kilimnik between the pipes, particularly against the powerhouse teams, kept the scores from being much higher. Raviv Bull, the team's spark plug in recent seasons, passed the leadership torch to Zamir, contributing three goals.
"Special praise must be given, not only to the players, who gave their all in a team effort in winning the bronze medal," said Alan Maislin, the chairman of the Israel Ice Hockey Federation, from Bulgaria, "but also to Sergei Matin, the president of the IIHF; Boris Mindel, the coach who works with them tirelessly on a day-to-day basis at the Canada Centre in Metulla; and Eddy Ravniaga, the Ma'alot coach.
"It is their daily efforts that have developed this fine young team, and they will be a force to contend with next year."