China secured its second consecutive win at the IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia Championship, while Japan maintained a strong performance with an 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan.
BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China claimed a decisive 4-0 victory over South Korea on Saturday, marking their second consecutive win at the inaugural IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia Championship held at Beijing's Shougang Ice Hockey Arena.
China took an early lead with a close-range goal from Yang Jinglei in the third minute. South Korea struggled with penalties throughout the first period, which allowed China's Zhang Mengying and Kong Minghui to score a powerplay goal each. Zhang Biyang then extended China's lead to 4-0 late in the second period. The third period saw no goals, allowing China to maintain their shutout.
"Despite our two wins, we've found the team's problems that need to be improved. The experience gained from the Asia Championship is invaluable for our team," said China's captain Yu Baiwei. "With guidance from our coach, we're working to minimize mistakes and will continue to play our style and give our all."
Following a 12-0 first-round thrashing of South Korea, world No. 7 Japan continued their strong run, scoring twice in the opening four minutes and three times in each of the last two periods to beat Kazakhstan 8-0.
After two rounds of matches, China and Japan had accumulated six points each, with Japan standing in the top spot on goal difference.
The final round on Sunday will see China face off against Japan, while South Korea meets Kazakhstan. ■