2024 IIHF U20 World Championship, Division IIA

[MeHateHe]

Yes of course now it's pretty much over but with a score 3-0 there was legitimate intrigue in the game.

Dutch hockey doing that Dutch hockey. Had a buddy of Dutch heritage about 30 years ago always railing about how the Dutch were just on the cusp of getting back to the A pool...

 

[SoundAndFury]

3-1 GB.. Another upset brewing?

 

[SoundAndFury]

Korea manages to come back, after another pretty weak call against GB but much like in Lithuania's game, you can't help but feel opponents deserve to tie it. Credit to GB though, they managed to make the game final-worthy.

Also, Grubb pulled a goalie with the score tied to win it. I remember in some tournament in the past in a very Grubb-like move, he didn't do it to secure the silver.

 

[sytheman]

Just spitballing, but if they're now over 18 they may be doing their compulsory military service? It's a minimum of 18 months in South Korea.

Korean male can suspend their service up to 25 years old for traveling oversea if they were attending a 4-year college or to 27 years old with enrollment to a graduate school. Usually our U20 team roster is filled with 4-year college athletes so they should be able to travel oversea without much trouble. These players are competing in the U-League, the Korean version of NCAA.
Since the Army hockey team was disbanded after the 2018 Games, almost every Korean player pursuing professional career would take this route. Now the country has only one professional team named HL Anyang competing against Japanese clubs in the Asia League Ice Hockey League, it is hard for them to continue their career after the college. The other two clubs named High1 and Daemyung Killer Whales failed to continue their operations because of financial burden to their parent companies caused by COVID-19, respectively.

 

[sytheman]

While our top-tier level has struggled for its own survival, the game at grassroot leval has enjoyed unprecedented progress, particularly at younger age. The registered number of players at age under 12 is only behind soccer and baseball, argurably the two most watched games in the country, and it keeps growing at rapid pace. Our recent success at the World U18 and U20 have something to do with this.

 

[FrHockeyFan]