The Polish team opened the tournament strongly, defeating Romania 4–1 and following up with a 2–1 win over Japan. However, they then suffered back-to-back 1–4 losses to Italy and Ukraine, followed by a 0–3 defeat to Great Britain.
The British team clinched the tournament title and earned promotion to the elite level, along with runners-up Italy.
Meanwhile, Romania finished last and were relegated to a lower division, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Poland's Slovak head coach Robert Kalaber said that while the team met its minimum goal of retaining its place in Division 1A, the greater ambition of rejoining the top tier remained unfulfilled.
The Polish team entered the tournament ranked 21st in the world by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
In May 2023, Poland had earned promotion to the top division by finishing second at the Division 1A championship in Nottingham, marking their return to the elite level after more than two decades.
However, just a year later, Poland were relegated after finishing last at the top-tier tournament in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Looking ahead, the Polish Ice Hockey Federation (PZHL) hopes to host the next Division 1A World Championship in the southern city of Sosnowiec, the PAP news agency reported.
(gs)
Source: PAP, iihf.com