The national men’s ice hockey team will compete to qualify for the Winter Olympics for the first time in a decade.
The Ukrainian national hockey team will have the opportunity to play in the Olympics for the second time in its history. Our national team defeated the Estonian team and became the winner of the third stage of qualification for the 2026 Winter Games.
Khristich’s team defeated their last opponent in the competition with a score of 5:3. Thus, Ukraine won all group matches and advanced to the next round. Previously, the teams of Poland and South Korea lost.
Olympics 2026. Qualification. Group stage
Ukraine – Estonia 5:3 (3:0, 1:2, 1:1)
Pucks: 02:29 Mazur (Merezhko, Trakht – big) – 1:0, 15:59 Pangelov-Yuldashev (Deniskin, Grebenik) – 2:0, 17:17 Lyalka – 3:0, 23:29 Arrak (Fursa , Rooba) – 3:1, 24:33 Fadeev (Peresunko) – 4:1, 26:41 Vasenkin (Vitanen) – 4:2, 55:53 Vitanen – 4:3, 57:40 Peresunko (Lyalka) – 5 : 3
Goalkeepers: Dyachenko – Koitma (Virro)
Taking into account the rating of the Ukrainian team (26th place), the team finished in Group D with Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Only the group winner qualifies for the Olympics. The matches will take place in Slovakia from August 28 to September 1.
As for Belarus, the national team of the aggressor country is suspended from matches until the end of 2024, so it is likely that the team will participate in the upcoming selection.
Note that before this, Ukraine played only once in the Olympics. In 2002, the Blue-Yellows took 10th place in Salt Lake City.
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Source: korrespondent
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
