Bishkek, April 7, 2026 /Kabar/. The Kyrgyzstan national ice hockey team made a successful debut at the World Championship in the second division (Group B), defeating the tournament hosts, Bulgaria.
According to the Hockey Federation, our players pulled off a strong performance in the opening game on the ice of the Winter Sports Palace in Sofia, winning 5-3.
Islam Abdyraev scored a hat-trick, the highlight of the match.
Goal scorers and assists for the Kyrgyzstan national team:
1-0 — Mamed Kassabekov (00:32), no assists.
2:0 — Islam Abdyraev (02:18), assists: Mikhail Chuvalov and Alexander Titov.
3:0 — Islam Abdyraev (03:10), assists: Maxim Egorov.
4:1 — Artem Kuzmich (18:41), assists: Georgy Fitisenko and Evgeny Mirnov.
5:2 — Islam Abdyraev (20:25), assists: Anton Kudashev.
"This is our first and very important victory in this division. We have proven that Kyrgyz hockey is capable of competing at a high international level. New challenges and even more difficult opponents await us, but we believe this is only the beginning of a long journey to medals. Now more than ever, the team needs the support of every compatriot" the national team coaching staff noted.
As a reminder, IIHF World Championship 2026 is taking place in Bulgaria from April 6 to 12.
Kyrgyzstan is competing at this level for the first time in history.