In the first half, the Lithuanians had plenty of opportunities, and goalkeeper Faustas Nausėda, who made his debut in the national team, stopped only two attempts by the opponents. But the Dutch defended themselves and started the second half with a stab in the back.
A minute into the game, the defenders were unable to clear the puck in time, and Jay Huisman scored his team’s first goal in Vilnius.
The Netherlands had one more chance to punish the confused Lithuanian ice hockey players, however, after a couple of minutes, Markas Kaleinikovas helped them to regain the goal by equalizing the result.
The Dutch could already feel the smell of blood and in the second half they even took the lead in terms of shots on goal (14:13). However, luck turned away from them when goalkeeper Ruudas Leeuwesteijnas failed to deal with a long shot by Nerijaus Ališauskas.
In the last half, the victory of the Lithuanian team, which guaranteed the finish in the top three, was consolidated by Ugnius Čižas, who found a free corner of the goal with a repeated shot.
True, it was not the end yet, as the hope of the Netherlands was revived by Lennart Vosmer, who skilfully put the puck near the post.
On Thursday, the winners will meet the Chinese.
In the previous match of the day, Ukraine did not spare China 9-0 and remain in first place due to the best goal difference, while Estonia defeated Spain 4-3 after extra time.
We remind you that the hosts won the first two matches in Vilnius against the Spaniards (3:0) and the Estonians (6:1).
The strongest team of the tournament will advance to the IA division next year, the worst one will exchange places with Croatia, which has already won the IIA division.
Further schedule of the Lithuanian national team:
May 1, 7:30 p.m. Lithuania – China
May 3, 7:30 p.m. Lithuania – Ukraine
Tags: Stuck unexpected obstacle Lithuanian ice hockey players secured medals Vilnius
