In a nail-biting opener at the ninth Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, China’s men’s ice hockey team narrowly lost 6-5 to South Korea in overtime on Tuesday.
South Korea struck first with Lee Chong-min finding the net just over six minutes into the game. China’s captain, Zhang Jiaqi, quickly responded, scoring two minutes later after a skillful cut inside from the right. Yan Juncheng put the hosts ahead with a crucial shot in the final minutes of the first period.
The second period saw China extend their lead to 4-1 with swift goals from Zheng Mingju and Guo Jianing. However, South Korea fought back as Ahn Jin-hui and Kim Sang-yeob scored in quick succession, bringing the score to 4-3.
In the third period, Kim Sang-yeob’s second goal leveled the match at 4-4. China’s Yu Jilong reclaimed the lead with a well-placed shot, but South Korea’s Lee ensured the game went into overtime with a last-minute goal.
Despite a crucial save by China’s goalie Chen Shifeng in the dying moments of overtime, South Korea’s Kim Sang-wook clinched the victory with a decisive goal.
“South Korea is a stronger team, and we made more mistakes today. Our players are young and have limited experience at international competitions,” said Captain Zhang Jiaqi. “We will do our best in the following matches, striving to win a medal.”
In other Group A action, Japan dominated with a 15-0 win over Chinese Taipei, while Kazakhstan defeated Thailand 12-0. On the women’s side, South Korea overpowered China’s Hong Kong 8-0, and Kazakhstan secured a 9-0 victory against Thailand.
