In a wild tilt with country pride on the line, Kazakhstan came out firing. Still, Germany completed a stunning comeback to win 4-3 on Thursday in Ottawa and secure their place in the 2026 World Juniors in Minnesota.
Related: A Quick Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
The loss sends Kazakhstan back to Division 1A, ending their top-division run on a bitter note.
The Kazakhs got off to the perfect start, with Assanali Ruslanuly finding the back of the net just 4:33 into the game. Beibarys Orazov set up the goal with a brilliant play, stealing the puck and driving wide before threading a pass to Ruslanuly in the slot.
However, Kazakhstan’s lead barely lasted long enough for the PA announcer to call it. Germany’s 2025 NHL Draft prospect, Maxim Schafer, responded eight seconds later, tying the game at 1-1 and setting the tone for a relentless battle.
Kazakhstan regained the lead late in the first period when Nikita Sitnikov capitalized on a loose puck, wrapping around the net and banking it off the German goalie’s Linus Vieillard’s skate.
Early in the second, Artur Gross extended the lead to 3-1, finishing a textbook breakout play with a gorgeous top-shelf shot. Gross’s tally, his third of the tournament, seemed to signal a turning point for Kazakhstan, who would salvage their first impression by guaranteeing another.
Yet Germany’s experience in relegation games showed, and, for the second straight year, they left the tournament’s campus with a win.
Kazakhstan was manipulated into frustrating penalties by the German’s north-south speed and aggression. It netted them a 5-on-3 power play, where Schafer and Edwin Tropmann fired back-to-back goals 21 seconds apart to tie the game.
With momentum entirely on their side, Germany took the lead for good in the third period when Julius Sumpf buried a power-play goal with 15:57 remaining. Sumpf had a three-point game and capped a breakout tournament with a team-high seven points in five contests.
The Kazakhs pushed hard for an equalizer, controlling the puck for long stretches, but they refused to pull goalie Vladimir Nikitin, a hesitation that plagued them throughout the tournament when trailing late in regulation. A late high-sticking penalty with just 11.4 seconds left sealed their fate.
Despite their heartbreaking exit, Kazakhstan saw standout efforts from players like Orazov, who was a steady defensive presence and the recipient of their opening goal, and Semyon Simonov, who consistently generated scoring chances with his speed and positioning. Yet the undisciplined penalties are why they’re being barred from the top Junior levels until 2027.
Germany heads into 2026 with the relief of knowing they’ll return to the spectacle, while Kazakhstan’s journey ends with lessons learned and hope for redemption in Division 1A. Denmark will take their spot in Minneapolis next year.
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