SHENZHEN, April 30 (Xinhua) — China secured its first win at the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship Division I Group B on Thursday, defeating Romania 4-3 in overtime after Hou Yuyang converted a decisive penalty shot.
Romania opened the scoring eight minutes into the first period on a power play, before Hou assisted Wang Jing, who leveled the score with a deft finish.
China’s Zhang Jiaqi fired a long-range shot from the blue line to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
The final period saw a back-and-forth battle. Romania equalized before Chen Zimeng restored China’s advantage. However, Romania struck again with three minutes remaining to tie the game and force overtime.
In overtime, Hou was awarded a penalty shot after being struck from behind. He converted the shot, sealing the win for China.
“I knew the goal was clean the moment I shot. It was definitely a valid goal,” Hou said after the match. “The whole team trusted me, and we stayed patient while waiting for the referee’s review. It feels great to secure the win.”
Earlier on Thursday, Estonia defeated the Netherlands 5-1, while South Korea beat Spain 6-4. ■
