Kazakhstan would hardly be considered a contender at the World Juniors, and they haven’t had much good fortune through the first few days of play. They were blanked in a 5-0 loss to Finland in their opening game, and though able to get on the board on Friday, it was in a 8-2 drubbing against the United States.
Wins and losses are rarely the whole story, however. Kazakhstan has been out of the tournament since 2009, until this year’s group was able to qualify for the championship level. While the results may not have been what they wanted, the energy of their play has earned a lot of support from the crowd in attendance, even drawing a ‘Kazakhstan’ chant at one point.
This is what the World Juniors is all about, right? Observing the international growth of the game, and a good old underdog story. (Especially in a match against the United States.)
Kazakhstan’s first goal at the World Juniors in nearly a decade was scored early on against the USA by Andrei Buyalski, and then it was followed by a much later goal by Dmitri Mitenkov, who, despite a stark contrast on the scoreboard, couldn’t help but get fired up after his tally. The crowd in Victoria? Still loving it.
