Buffalo 2025 Team Preview: Get to know Norway

The 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool will take place from 24-31 May in Buffalo, New York in USA. Hosted in conjunction with USA Hockey at LECOM Harborcenter, the tournament will feature three days of group play followed by three days of playoff contests. The top five finishers from the event will earn qualification spots for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The bottom three finishers will be forced to compete at the Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament that will take place later in 2025.

Let's take a close look at B-Pool champions Norway. 

Background 

Norway, seeded No. 7, is back in the A-Pool after playing the B-Pool for the first time in its 19-year World Championships history. Ten years ago in Buffalo, Norway lost out on the bronze medal by one goal. Last year, Norway claimed B-Pool gold on its home ice in an overtime thriller against Germany. It will look to build off that momentum to earn a spot in Milano-Cortina after failing to make the Winter Paralympics in 2022 for the first time since the sport was added to the Games programme at Lillehammer 1994.

World Championships History

2024: Gold (B-Pool)
2023: 7th place (A-Pool)
2021: 6th place (A-Pool)
2019: 5th place (A-Pool)
2017: 4th place (A-Pool)
2015: 4th place (A-Pool)
2013: 5th place (A-Pool)
2012: 6th place (A-Pool)
2009: Silver (A-Pool)
2008: Silver (A-Pool)
2004: Gold (A-Pool)
2000: Silver (A-Pool)
1996: Silver (A-Pool)

Champion photos from a champion evening 👏

Norway v Germany was a classic!#Skien2024 | #ParaIceHockey pic.twitter.com/YBtb1t3iw2

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) April 21, 2024

Athlete to Watch

Morten Varenes is approaching 44 years old this June, but remains Mr. Clutch for one of the world’s oldest and most decorated Para ice hockey programmes. Last season, it was his overtime goal that led Norway past Germany in the gold-medal contest to win the B-Pool title, and he has established himself as one of the sport’s most dependable overtime and penalty shootout shot takers over the course of his career.

Matchup to Watch 

Norway will have a tough test in its first round-robin game against host nation USA on Saturday, 24 May, that will showcase how far the team has (or has not) progressed since winning the B-Pool title last season. No stranger to high-pressure situations, the Norwegians will be the first to take on the host nation in front of its home crowd.

Game Schedule

Saturday, 24 May
13:30 - USA vs. Norway
Sunday, 25 May
10:00 - Czechia vs. Norway
Tuesday, 27 May
17:00 - Norway vs. Slovakia

More information about the Buffalo 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships can be found here.