China makes its IIHF Women’s World Championship debut when it faces off with Japan in a Group B matchup at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York on Thursday.
China won the IIHF Women’s Division 1A Championship in August on home ice in Shenzhen, earning promotion to the top division of the sport for the first time. On Thursday morning, the Chinese play their first-ever game in the IIHF Women’s World Championship when they squar- off with Japan in a Group B game at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. Group B includes the sixth, seventh and eighth-place finishers at last year’s worlds in Brampton, Ontario, along with China and Denmark, both of which earned promotions. The challenge now for China is to remain in that top group. Only three of the five teams in Group B advance to the knockout stage, while the bottom two squads face relegation back to Division 1A.
How to Watch China vs. Japan in 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship Today:
Game Date: April 4, 2024
Game Time: 11 a.m. ET
TV: NHL Network
Live stream the China vs. Japan Group B game at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championships on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
Japan’s seventh-place finish in Brampton dropped it from Group A to Group B for 2024. The headliner for the Japanese is 23-year-old forward Akane Shiga, the only player from Japan in the PWHL. Also the youngest player in the league, Shiga joins older sister Aoi Shiga, a defenseman, on the roster. Defenseman Shiori Koike, 31, captains the club.
China shuffled its roster from the 2023 Division 1A tournament, notably coming to Utica without goalie Tiya Chen and collegiate stars Anna Segedi and Camryn Wong. Defenseman Yu Baiwei, 35, captains the team and is a two-time Olympian (2010 and 2022).
Canadian Scott Spencer, a former head coach at Lindenwood in the NCAA, coaches the squad. Yuji Iizuka leads Japan into the tournament.
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