Olympic Winter Games 2006 / Ice Hockey (Men) / Qualification

→ Main article : 2006 Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament

The qualification for the 2006 Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament was held between November 2004 and February 2005. Previously, the host nation and eight of the twelve participants had already qualified directly through their placement in the IIHF world rankings and did not have to play another qualifying tournament. The three remaining places were played in a multi-stage system and finally won by the national teams of Switzerland , Latvia and Kazakhstan . The Ukrainian, Belarusian, French and Austrian national teams, all of which were still represented at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , missed the qualification.

Overview

competition	place	date	sub- contractor	viewers total	Games	O
Qualification group A	Balls	Feb 10, 2005 - Feb 13, 2005	4th	11,176	6th	1,862
Qualification group B	Riga	Feb 10, 2005 - Feb 13, 2005	4th	18,222	6th	3,037
Qualification group C	Klagenfurt am Wörthersee	Feb 10, 2005 - Feb 13, 2005	4th	8,500	6th	1,416
Pre-qualification group D	Briançon	Nov 11, 2004 - Nov 14, 2004	4th	8,513	6th	1,418
Pre-qualification group E	Nowy Targ	Nov 11, 2004 - Nov 14, 2004	4th	11,200	6th	1,866
Pre-qualification group F	Stavanger	Nov 11, 2004 - Nov 14, 2004	4th	5,160	6th	860

Direct qualification

In addition to the host Italy, the first eight nations of the IIHF world rankings directly qualified for the Olympic tournament after the 2004 World Cup :

rank	country	World Cup 2004 (100%)	World Cup 2003 (75%)	World Cup 2002 (50%)	OS 2002 (50%)	World Cup 2001 (25%)	total
1	Canada	1200	1200	1040	1200	1060	3485
2	Sweden	1160	1160	1120	1060	1120	3400
3	Slovakia	1100	1120	1200	880	1020	3235
4th	Czech Republic	1060	1100	1060	1020	1200	3225
5	Finland	1040	1060	1100	1040	1160	3195
6th	United States	1120	880	1020	1160	1100	3145
7th	Russia	940	1020	1160	1120	1040	3105
8th	Germany	960	1040	1000	1000	1000	2990
9	Switzerland	1000	1000	940	920	960	2920
10	Latvia	1020	960	920	960	880	2900
11	Austria	920	940	900	900	920	2755
12	Ukraine	860	900	960	940	940	2720
13	Belarus	780	860	800	1100	860	2590
14th	Denmark	900	920	780	840	700	2575
15th	Japan	840	820	820	740	820	2440
16	Slovenia	800	840	880	700	800	2420
17th	Kazakhstan	880	800	720	780	720	2410
18th	France	820	780	760	860	740	2400
19th	Italy	760	680	840	800	900	2315
20th	Poland	720	760	860	760	780	2295

mode

Between November 2004 and February 2005, the national teams from 9th place on the world rankings played the three remaining places in qualifying tournaments. A total of 21 countries registered for the six tournaments.

In the first qualifying round, the twelve registered and not already qualified teams between 18 and 32 world rankings took part after the 2004 World Cup - only Great Britain and South Korea did not register their teams, Italy was already automatically qualified as hosts. The teams met in three groups of four teams. The three group winners reached the second qualifying round, in which they then met the nine teams that finished 9th to 17th in the world rankings. There was again played in three groups with four teams each. The respective group winners finally qualified for the Olympic ice hockey tournament.

The International Ice Hockey Federation formed a ranking among the non-qualified nations that was also included in the 2006 IIHF world rankings .

First qualifying round

The first qualifying round took place between November 11 and 14, 2004. The three group heads enjoyed the right to determine the location of the alignment and made use of it. The tournaments took place in Briançon , France , Nowy Targ , Poland and Stavanger , Norway .

Group D

Olympic qualification, group D.
Number of nations	4th
Qualifier	France
Venue (s)	Briançon , France
opening	November 11, 2004
Final day	November 14, 2004
spectator	8,513 (1,418 per game)
Gates	56 (9.33 per game)
Awards
Best goalkeeper	Cristobal Huet
Best defender	Simon Bachelet
Best striker	François Rozenthal
Top scorer	François Rozenthal (7 points)

The group D tournaments were hosted by France, which played the games in Briançon . The venue was the Patinoire René Froger with a capacity of 2,150 spectators.

In a sovereign manner, the hosts prevailed with three wins from three games. In addition, the French had a flawless goal balance of 30: 0. The French laid the foundation stone for reaching the second round in their first tournament game when they clearly defeated Romania 8-0. The victories against Bulgaria and Estonia were just as clear.

The top scorer and top scorer of the tournament was Frenchman François Rozenthal , who scored seven points , including five goals. A total of 8,513 spectators attended the six qualifying games, which corresponds to an average of 1,418 per game.

venue

Briançon , France

Briançon Venue of the qualification

Venues

Patinoire René Froger Capacity: 2,150

Exterior view of the Patinoire René Froger

November 11, 2004 4:30 p.m. (local time)

Estonia A. Petrov (3:56) K. Kaljuste (7:29) V. Titarenko (14:21) D. Konoshev (23:10) D. Konoshev (27:45) A. Makrov (40:48) R . Palu (41:31) A. Zorin (41:57) K. Kaljuste (52:59) R. Potsinok (55:08) M. Kozlov (59:29)

11: 1 (3: 0, 2: 0, 6: 1) game report

Bulgaria W. Polizojew (42:36)

Patinoire René Froger, Briançon Spectators: 1,052

November 11, 2004 8:30 p.m.

Romania

0: 8 (0: 2, 0: 2, 0: 4) game report

France L. Meunier (6:40) L. Gras (18:28) F. Rozenthal (21:40) O. Coqueux (33:38) G. Besse (55:39) G. Karrer (57:44) F. . Rozenthal (59:13) D. Dostal (59:41)

Patinoire René Froger, Briançon Spectators: 2,007

November 13, 2004 4:30 p.m.

Estonia R. Palu (5:32) M. Ivanov (16:40) M. Kozlov (42:09)

3: 4 (2: 0, 0: 4, 1: 0) game report

Romania I. Timaru (24:41) L. Elekes (29:09) R. Lupaşcu (31:16) V. Nicolescu (39:28)

Patinoire René Froger, Briançon Spectators: 884

November 13, 2004 8:30 p.m.

France O. Coqueux (9:06) G. Besse (13:18) P.-É. Bellemare (14:48) K. Hecquefeuille (15:48) F. Rozenthal (18:09) J. Zwikel (24:46) D. Dostal (32:01) F. Rozenthal (35:58) N. Favarin ( 39:20) K. Hecquefeuille (41:01) F. Rozenthal (42:22) D. Dostal (45:58) L. Gras (48:46) O. Coqueux (53:53) X. Daramy (56: 42)

15: 0 (5: 0, 4: 0, 6: 0) game report

Bulgaria

Patinoire René Froger, Briançon Spectators: 1,916

November 14, 2004 3:30 p.m.

Bulgaria M. Milanow (56:40)

1: 6 (0: 3, 0: 2, 1: 1) game report

Romania A. Borsos (2:47) L. Elekes (3:05) C. Geru (12:16) A. Borsos (29:35) I. Nagy (34:36) L. Vargyas (51:41)

Patinoire René Froger, Briançon Spectators: 532

November 14, 2004 7:30 p.m.

France L. Meunier (2:59) M. Rozenthal (11:02) V. Bachet (12:53) J.-F. Bonnard (27:37) D. Dostal (28:45) X. Daramy (42:07) V. Bachet (58:45)

7: 0 (3: 0, 2: 0, 2: 0) game report

Estonia

Patinoire René Froger, Briançon Spectators: 2,122

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	France	3	3	0	0	30: 00	6th
2.	Romania	3	2	0	1	10:12	4th
3.	Estonia	3	1	0	2	14:12	2
4th	Bulgaria	3	0	0	3	02:32	0

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = wins, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Qualifier for the second round

Group E

Olympic qualification, group E.
Number of nations	4th
Qualifier	Poland
Venue (s)	Nowy Targ , Poland
opening	November 11, 2004
Final day	November 14, 2004
spectator	11,200 (1,866 per game)
Gates	46 (7.67 per game)
Awards
Most valuable player	Mariusz Czerkawski
Top scorer	Mark Bultje Mariusz Czerkawski (7 points each)
All-Star Team
Mark Bultje - Leszek Laszkiewicz - Mariusz Czerkawski
Jacek Zamojski - Tommie Hartogs
Arūnas Aleinikovas

Group E games took place in Nowy Targ, Poland, where they played in Miejska Hala Lodowa with a capacity of 3,500 people .

Group E was much more exciting than Group D. Both hosts Poland and the Netherlands went into the final day with the maximum yield of four points from the first two games. Ultimately, however, the Poles clearly prevailed in the direct duel with the Netherlands and clearly won 5-0. They qualified for Group B in the second qualifying round.

Dutchman Mark Bultje and Pole Mariusz Czerkawski had the two best points . Both of them collected seven scorer points during the tournament and scored four times each. That made them the best goalscorers of the tournament. A total of 11,200 spectators attended the six qualifying games, which corresponds to an average of 1,866 per game.

venue

Nowy Targ , Poland

Nowy Targ Venue of the qualification

Venue

Miejska Hala Lodowa w Nowym Targu Capacity: 3,500

November 11, 2004 4:00 p.m. (local time)

Netherlands D. Livingston (3:28) C. Eimers (7:36) D. Stienstra (8:14) J. Oort (22:35) K. Hoogsteen (26:46) D. Stienstra (32:35) K . Hoogsteen (46:00) M. Bultje (47:58) T. Hartogs (53:56) M. Bultje (58:50)

10: 3 (3: 0, 3: 1, 4: 2) game report

Croatia T. Piragić (28:05) M. Mlađenović (44:23) M. Mlađenović (51:40)

Miejska Hala Lodowa, Nowy Targ Spectators: 400

November 11, 2004 7:30 p.m.

Lithuania D. Lelėnas (23:36)

1: 6 (0: 2, 1: 2, 0: 2) game report

Poland A. Bagiński (1:59) M. Czerkawski (19:04) L. Laszkiewicz (21:11) W. Klisiak (30:43) M. Czerkawski (42:12) M. Czerkawski (55:54)

Miejska Hala Lodowa, Nowy Targ Spectators: 4,000

November 13, 2004 4:00 p.m.

Netherlands L. Arts (10:16) M. Bultje (26:31) M. Bultje (37:46)

3: 1 (1: 1, 2: 0, 0: 0) game report

Lithuania D. Lelėnas (5:20)

Miejska Hala Lodowa, Nowy Targ Spectators: 300

November 13, 2004 7:30 p.m.

Poland A. Parzyszek (1:23) M. Garbocz (4:54) L. Laszkiewicz (14:24) M. Czerkawski (20:29) J. Dołęga (28:41) A. Parzyszek (38:29) K . Oliwa (45:50)

7: 0 (3: 0, 3: 0, 1: 0) game report

Croatia

Miejska Hala Lodowa, Nowy Targ Spectators: 1,800

November 14, 2004 3:00 p.m.

Poland M. Garbocz (16:33) L. Laszkiewicz (17:06) W. Klisiak (33:31) A. Parzyszek (38:58) M. Garbocz (40:48)

5: 0 (2: 0, 2: 0, 1: 0) game report

Netherlands

Miejska Hala Lodowa, Nowy Targ Spectators: 4,500

November 14, 2004 6:30 p.m.

Croatia V. Žibret (5:58) T. Piragić (25:21) I. Jačmenjak (35:18) M. Mlađenović (55:22)

4: 6 (1: 1, 2: 2, 1: 3) match report

Lithuania E. Bauba (11:12) E. Bauba (20:31) E. Bauba (26:19) D. Vaiciukevičius (52:01) R. Aliukonis (54:21) D. Lelėnas (56:32)

Miejska Hala Lodowa, Nowy Targ Spectators: 200

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Poland	3	3	0	0	18: 01	6th
2.	Netherlands	3	2	0	1	13: 09	4th
3.	Lithuania	3	1	0	2	08:13	2
4th	Croatia	3	0	0	3	07:23	0

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = wins, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Qualifier for the second round

Group F.

Olympic qualification, group F
Number of nations	4th
Qualifier	Norway
Venue (s)	Stavanger , Norway
opening	November 11, 2004
Final day	November 14, 2004
spectator	5,160 (860 per game)
Gates	70 (11.67 per game)
Awards
Top scorer	Per-Åge Skrøder (9 points)

Group F hosted Norway with Stavanger as the host . The game was played in the Siddishallen , which had a seating capacity of 3,000.

Group F had the largest performance gap of the three preliminary round groups. For the most part, the Norwegians and Hungarians won their first two games clearly - three of the four encounters ended with a double-digit result. Before the last group game between the two undefeated teams, however, the hosts had the better starting position due to the goal difference. The 3: 3 draw against Hungary, which Patrick Thoresen managed just before the end of the game, was enough to advance.

The Norwegian Per-Åge Skrøder collected the most scorer points in the course of the qualification with nine, which he was involved in almost a quarter of the 40 goals of the Norwegians. There were six goals among the nine scorer points. A total of 5,160 spectators attended the six qualifying games, which corresponds to an average of 860 per game.

venue

Stavanger , Norway

Stavanger Venue of the qualification

Venue

Siddishallen capacity: 3,000

Exterior view of the Siddish halls

November 11, 2004 3:00 p.m. (local time)

Hungary I. Peterdi (5:29) T. Gröschl (17:06) J. Vas (24:18) G. Majoross (27:12) D. Fekete (28:29) B. Ladányi (29:05) B. . Ladányi (32:12) K. Palkovics (34:15) B. Ladányi (37:52) J. Vas (41:18) B. Ladányi (43:19) A. Horváth (51:07) P. Erdõsi (59:41)

13: 0 (2: 0, 7: 0, 4: 0) game report

Serbia and Montenegro

Siddishallen, Stavanger Spectators: 547

November 11, 2004 6:30 p.m.

People's Republic of China Yin K. (12:53) Liu Y. (17:40)

2:16 (2: 1, 0: 5, 0:10) game report

Norway T. Vikingstad (10:44) Mat. Trygg (20:45) J. Nilsen (21:40) Mat. Trygg (26:09) Ø. Olsen (27:47) J. Andersen (33:54) T. Vikingstad (41:32) P.-Å. Skrøder (42:55) Mat. Trygg (44:57) T. Jakobsen (48:32) T. Vikingstad (49:22) Mat. Trygg (51:20) Ø. Olsen (52:00) A. Myrvold (56:42) E. Ryman (57:11) K. Larsen (59:43)

Siddishallen, Stavanger Spectators: 960

November 12, 2004 3:00 p.m.

Hungary A. Horváth (14:41) C. Kovács (16:48) A. Horváth (32:10) B. Ladányi (59:48)

4: 3 (2: 1, 1: 2, 1: 0) game report

People's Republic of China Liu K. (9:32) To K. (28:46) Li G. (29:52)

Siddishallen, Stavanger Spectators: 555

November 12, 2004 6:30 p.m.

Norway H. Aaby (5:33) A. Myrvold (8:35) M. Hansen (11:07) Mar. Trygg (15:21) P.-Å. Skrøder (27:38) K. Larsen (29:24) Ø. Olsen (30:56) T. Jakobsen (32:03) P.-Å. Skrøder (32:52) E. Ryman (38:59) P. Thoresen (39:50) K. Nygård (40:30) A. Myrvold (42:24) P.-Å. Skrøder (43:18) K. Larsen (44:28) K. Larsen (44:57) P.-Å. Skrøder (45:48) Mat. Trygg (45:55) J. Andersen (50:42) P.-Å. Skrøder (55:10) P. Thoresen (58:11)

21: 0 (4: 0, 7: 0, 10: 0) game report

Serbia and Montenegro

Siddishallen, Stavanger Spectators: 901

November 14, 2004 1 p.m.

Serbia and Montenegro M. Babić (8:45) J. Rus (20:44)

2: 3 (1: 1, 1: 1, 0: 1) game report

People's Republic of China Hu J. (13:12) Wang Y. (29:07) Hu J. (48:11)

Siddishallen, Stavanger Spectators: 577

November 14, 2004 5:00 p.m.

Norway T. Vikingstad (6:12) M. Hansen (23:29) P. Thoresen (58:25)

3: 3 (1: 0, 1: 2, 1: 1) game report

Hungary M. Vas (22:05) T. Sille (32:21) V. Szélig (57:12)

Siddishallen, Stavanger spectators: 1,620

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Norway	3	2	1	0	40: 05	5
2.	Hungary	3	2	1	0	20: 06	5
3.	People's Republic of China	3	1	0	2	08:22	2
4th	Serbia and Montenegro	3	0	0	3	02:37	0

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = wins, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Qualifier for the second round

Second qualifying round

The second qualifying round took place from February 10-13, 2005. The three group heads enjoyed the right to determine the location of the alignment and made use of it. The group A tournament organized by the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation took place in Klotener Schluefweg , while the other two tournaments were held in the Latvian capital Riga and in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee in Austria . There, the Rīgas Sporta pils and the Klagenfurt city hall served as venues.

Group A

Olympic qualification, group A.
Number of nations	4th
Qualifier	Switzerland
Venue (s)	Kloten , Switzerland
opening	February 10, 2005
Final day	February 13, 2005
spectator	11,176 (1,862 per game)
Gates	34 (5.67 per game)
Awards
Top scorer	Frans Nielsen (5 points)

The group A games were played in the Schluefweg of Kloten , the home ground of the Kloten Flyers from the National League A.

After the Danes, who started with outsider chances, lost 4-0 in the first tournament against qualifiers Norway, the favored Switzerland was able to qualify in a sovereign manner for the Olympic ice hockey tournament. However, it took until the last group game before the Swiss tournament victory was secured. The Danes kept the final game open for a long time in order to keep a remaining chance of participating in the Olympics open in the event of a tie between the two teams and Norway. The Swiss were ultimately the stronger team and won 4-2.

At the end of the tournament, the Dane Frans Nielsen was ahead of the scorer with five points. As in the first qualifying round, Norwegian Per-Åge Skrøder was the top scorer with three goals. A total of 11,176 spectators attended the six qualifying games, which corresponds to an average of 1,862 per game.

venue

Kloten , Switzerland

Balls Venue of the qualification

Venue

Schluefweg Capacity: 6,851

Exterior view of the Schluefweg

February 10, 2005 4:15 p.m. (local time)

Denmark

0: 4 (0: 3, 0: 1, 0: 0) game report

Norway T. Vikingstad (5:21) P.-Å. Skrøder (7:47) A. Bastiansen (17:05) A. Myrvold (34:32)

Schluefweg, Kloten Spectators: 503

February 10, 2005 8:15 pm

Japan T. Suzuki (50:38)

1: 5 (0: 2, 0: 2, 1: 1) game report

Switzerland M. Jenni (0:33) A. Ambühl (9:00) B. Forster (38:13) T. Ziegler (39:09) J. Vauclair (51:53)

Schluefweg, Kloten Spectators: 2.269

February 12, 2005 12:00 p.m.

Denmark F. Nielsen (0:25) A. Andreasen (12:41) J. Damgaard (37:40) P. Regin (55:15) M. True (59:46)

5: 2 (2: 1, 1: 0, 2: 1) game report

Japan R. Fujita (14:27) C. Yule (43:54)

Schluefweg, Kloten Spectators: 551

February 12, 2005 3:45 p.m.

Switzerland B. Forster (1:41) T. Ziegler (38:53) R. Lemm (43:05)

3: 1 (1: 1, 1: 0, 1: 0) game report

Norway Mat.Trygg (8:10)

Schluefweg, Kloten Spectators: 4,051

February 13, 2005 12:00 p.m.

Norway Ø. Olsen (21:12) T. Marthinsen (22:13) P.-Å. Skrøder (42:44) P.-Å. Skrøder (51:57)

4: 3 (0: 2, 2: 0, 2: 2) game report

Japan C. Yule (3:18) Y. Kon (7:29) T. Uchiyama (49:38)

Schluefweg, Kloten Spectators: 431

February 13, 2005 3:45 p.m.

Switzerland P. Fischer (7:34) I. Rüthemann (33:06) M. Streit (38:07) P. Della Rossa (49:01)

4: 2 (1: 0, 2: 2, 1: 0) game report

Denmark F. Nielsen (20:30) J. Damgaard (33:20)

Schluefweg, Kloten Spectators: 3,371

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Switzerland	3	3	0	0	12: 04	6th
2.	Norway	3	1	0	2	09: 06	4th
3.	Denmark	3	1	0	2	07:10	2
4th	Japan	3	0	0	3	06:14	0

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = victories, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Qualifier for the Olympic Winter Games

Group B

Olympic qualification, group B
Number of nations	4th
Qualifier	Latvia
Venue (s)	Riga , Latvia
opening	February 10, 2005
Final day	February 13, 2005
spectator	18,222 (3,037 per game)
Gates	37 (6.17 per game)
Awards
Top scorer	Michail Hrabouski (7 points)

The group B tournament was held in the Latvian capital Riga . There, the Rīgas Sporta pils, accommodating a maximum of 5,500 spectators, served as a venue.

As in group A, the hosts of group B managed to secure a place in the Olympic ice hockey tournament. Both Latvia and Belarus, which caused a stir with fourth place at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , went into the final day with four points each. While the Belarusians reached a draw due to the better goal difference, a win was a must for Latvia. Up until five minutes before the end of the game, the Belarusians were comfortably 4-2, before the Latvians scored three goals in a row within 2:20 minutes and turned the game in their favor. The 5-4 victory finally gave them the ticket to Turin .

The best scorer and goalscorer of the tournament was the Belarusian Michail Hrabouski with seven scorer points. These included four hits. A total of 18,222 spectators attended the six qualifying games, which corresponds to an average of 3,037 per game.

venue

Riga , Latvia

Riga Venue of the qualification

Venue

Rīgas Sporta pils Capacity: 5,500

Exterior view of the Rīgas Sporta pils

February 10, 2005 3:30 p.m. (local time)

Belarus D. Mjaleschka (5:21) R. Salej (14:30) A. Antonenka (54:10)

3: 2 (2: 0, 0: 1, 1: 1) game report

Poland M. Czerkawski (20:49) M. Garbocz (52:21)

Rīgas Sporta pils, Riga Spectators: 1,000

February 10, 2005 7:00 p.m.

Slovenia J. Goličič (15:33)

1: 2 (1: 0, 0: 2, 0: 0) game report

Latvia K. Skrastiņš (20:14) J. Sprukts (26:18)

Rīgas Sporta pils, Riga Spectators: 4,900

February 11, 2005 3:30 p.m.

Belarus M. Hrabouski (21:56) A. Antonenka (24:25) A. Baschko (29:05) M. Hrabouski (39:45) M. Hrabouski (48:28) A. Kruzikau (48:58) A. . Kruzikau (54:23)

7: 2 (0: 1, 4: 1, 3: 0) game report

Slovenia Jan 1st (1:38) Jan 1st (26:50)

Rīgas Sporta pils, Riga Spectators: 1,952

February 11, 2005 7:00 p.m.

Latvia G. Panteļejevs (38:52) A. Semjonovs (51:50) M. Cipulis (58:22)

3: 1 (0: 0, 1: 1, 2: 0) game report

Poland M. Czerkawski (38:36)

Rīgas Sporta pils, Riga Spectators: 4,700

February 13, 2005 1:00 p.m.

Poland M. Dulęba (36:40) O. Szczepaniec (55:56) J. Płachta (56:41)

3: 4 (0: 1, 1: 1, 2: 2) game report

Slovenia J. Avgustinčič (1:17) J. Goličič (22:02) J. Goličič (42:10) A. Kopitar (50:54)

Rīgas Sporta pils, Riga Spectators: 970

February 13, 2005 5:00 p.m.

Latvia J. Sprukts (18:33) G. Panteļejevs (22:07) A. Bērziņš (55:11) J. Sprukts (56:58) A. Semjonovs (57:31)

5: 4 (1: 2, 1: 1, 3: 1) game report

Belarus A. Baschko (5:16) A. Mikultschyk (12:06) M. Hrabouski (21:49) K. Kalzou (49:11)

Rīgas Sporta pils, Riga Spectators: 4,700

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Latvia	3	3	0	0	10: 06	6th
2.	Belarus	3	2	0	1	14: 09	4th
3.	Slovenia	3	1	0	2	07:12	2
4th	Poland	3	0	0	3	06:10	0

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = victories, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Qualifier for the Olympic Winter Games

Group C

Olympic qualification, group C
Number of nations	4th
Qualifier	Kazakhstan
Venue (s)	Klagenfurt am Wörthersee , Austria
opening	February 10, 2005
Final day	February 13, 2005
spectator	8,500 (1,416 per game)
Gates	24 (4.00 per game)
Awards
Best goalkeeper	Cristobal Huet
Best defender	Vladimir Antipin
Best striker	Thomas Koch
Top scorer	Sébastien Bordeleau (4 points)

The group C games took place in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria . There was played in the Klagenfurt city hall with a capacity of 5,088 seats.

In contrast to all of the other five qualifying groups, the host did not manage to qualify for the Olympic tournament. In the extremely even group - with the exception of the Ukraine - three teams had the opportunity to win the tournament before the final day. However, in the penultimate group game Austria missed the necessary point gain against Ukraine, whereby the winner of the final game between France and Kazakhstan would win the tournament. The Kazakhs won just 1-0 and came to their second Olympic participation.

The French Sébastien Bordeleau emerged as the best scorer of the tournament . He was involved in four goals. The Austrian Thomas Koch scored the most hits . A total of 8,300 spectators attended the six qualifying games, which corresponds to an average of 1,383 per game.

venue

Klagenfurt am Wörthersee , Austria

Klagenfurt am Wörthersee Venue of the qualification

Venue

Stadthalle Klagenfurt Capacity: 5,088

Exterior view of the ice sports center

February 10, 2005 3:30 p.m. (local time)

Ukraine D. Zyrul (29:46) A. Hnidenko (33:29) R. Salnykow (49:07)

3: 4 (0: 1, 2: 0, 1: 3) game report

France L. Meunier (5:53) S. Bordeleau (41:45) O. Coqueux (45:28) F. Rozenthal (52:34)

Stadthalle, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee Spectators: 200

February 10, 2005 7:30 p.m.

Kazakhstan

0: 4 (0: 0, 0: 1, 0: 3) game report

Austria M. Peintner (24:12) T. Koch (40:43) T. Koch (42:34) O. Setzinger (50:48)

Stadthalle, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee Spectators: 2,500

February 11, 2005 3:30 p.m.

Ukraine V. Tymchenko (19:30)

1: 2 (1: 1, 0: 1, 0: 0) match report

Kazakhstan A. Roschnew (1:44) A. Komissarow (39:01)

Stadthalle, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee Spectators: 0

February 11, 2005 7:30 p.m.

Austria T. Vanek (45:35)

1: 1 (0: 1, 0: 0, 1: 0) game report

France S. Bordeleau (8:59)

Stadthalle, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee Spectators: 3,300

February 13, 2005 3:00 p.m.

Austria M. Ulrich (15:27) T. Koch (28:00) D. Kalt (44:12)

3: 4 (1: 2, 1: 1, 1: 1) game report

Ukraine D. Issajenko (12:52) W. Bobrobnikow (17:34) A. Hnidenko (36:59) D. Zyrul (53:13)

Stadthalle, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee Spectators: 2,200

February 13, 2005 7:00 p.m.

France

0: 1 (0: 1, 0: 0, 0: 0) game report

Kazakhstan A. Samokhvalov (17:57)

Stadthalle, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee Spectators: 0

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Kazakhstan	3	2	0	1	3: 5	4th
2.	Austria	3	1	1	1	8: 5	3
3.	France	3	1	1	1	5: 5	3
4th	Ukraine	3	1	0	2	8: 9	2

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = victories, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Qualifier for the Olympic Winter Games

Web links

• Overview of the qualifying tournaments
• Qualification tournaments at passionhockey.com