In a heart-pounding match at the ninth Asian Winter Games held in Harbin, China's Heilongjiang Province, South Korea edged out China with a 6-5 victory in overtime in the men's ice hockey Group A opener on Tuesday.
South Korea struck first when Lee Chong-min scored at 6:32. Not wasting any time, China's captain Zhang Jiaqi responded two minutes later, leveling the score. With three minutes left in the first period, Yan Juncheng netted a crucial goal, putting the host nation ahead.
The second period saw China extend their lead as Zheng Mingju and Guo Jianing scored in quick succession, making it 4-1. However, South Korea fought back with Ahn Jin-hui and Kim Sang-yeob narrowing the gap to 4-3.
In the third period, Kim Sang-yeob tied the game at 4-4 with a precise shot. China quickly responded as Yu Jilong found the back of the net, taking a 5-4 lead. Lee's decisive shot sent the match into overtime.
During overtime, China's goalie Chen Shifeng made a pivotal save, but Kim Sang-wook scored the game-winning goal for South Korea, sealing a dramatic 6-5 win.
Reflecting on the game, China's captain Zhang Jiaqi stated, \"South Korea are a stronger team, and we made more mistakes today. Our players are young and have limited experience at international competitions. Anyway, we will do our best in the following match, striving to win a medal.\"
The second day of Group A saw Japan dominate Chinese Taipei with a 15-0 win and Kazakhstan sweep past Thailand 12-0. On the women's side, South Korea routed Hong Kong 8-0, while Kazakhstan cruised to a 9-0 victory over Thailand.
Reference(s):
China lose to South Korea in OT in ice hockey at Asian Winter Games
cgtn.com
