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Jessheim 2025: Host Norway leads the way with three wins

Norway tops standings mid-way through 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament with nine points while Slovakia, Japan and Korea are tied for second place on points apiece 08 Nov 2025
Athletes in action
Noway kicked off its campaign at Jessheim 2025 with a strong show against arch-rival Sweden, opening the game with three goals in about 13 minutes. The host nation won the game 8-1.
ⒸJohan Grønlie / WPIH
By Stuart Lieberman I For World Para Ice Hockey

Host nation Norway is in first place in the standings at the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament with three wins in as many days at the Is- og Flerbrukshall in Jessheim.  

With nine points, Norway leads among the six teams battling for the final two coveted spots at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, with Slovakia, Japan and Korea all knotted up at six points apiece in a three-way tie for second place. Sweden and Kazakhstan have yet to tally any points in the standings.  

Individually, Slovakia’s Martin Joppa leads all skaters with nine points (4 goals, 5 assists), with Norway’s Audun Bakke the top defender with six points (3 goals, 3 assists). Japan’s Wataru Horie is the top goaltender with a 92.16 save percentage, having recorded one shutout.  

Veteran player Rolf Einar Pedersen, a three-time Paralympic medalist and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, has been a pivotal figure for the home team, returning to the ice after six years away from the sport.  

“I’ve played Para ice hockey for a couple of decades and so to come back and play more games with the team has been fun,” Pedersen said. “The team is working really well, and the most important thing was we beat Korea, our biggest opponent.” 

Here is a closer look at the results from the first three days of action.  

Day 1 

Korea 2, Japan 1: The tournament opened with a thrilling one-score decider, as Si-Woo Choi and captain Young-Sung Kim gave Korea two third-period goals to overcome an early deficit and pick up the win. Korea outshot Japan on the day, 23-10. 

Slovakia 6, Kazakhstan 0: Slovakia wasted no time, scoring three goals in the opening period, including two from Joppa, as they cruised their way to a shutout. Eduard Lepacek had a perfect game on the net, batting away all 15 shots that came his way. 

Norway 8, Sweden 1: The host nation made a strong statement in its rivalry with Sweden by opening the game with three goals in about 13 minutes, including one on the power-play six minutes into the contest by captain Ola Oiseth. Bakke finished the game with a hat trick. 

 

 

Day 2 

Japan 3, Slovakia 2: In a surprise thriller, Japan mounted a comeback with five minutes to go in the contest to upset Slovakia, with the game-winning goal coming from captain Masaharu Kumagi with 53 seconds left in the game.  

Korea 4, Sweden 2: Speedy Seung-Hwan Jung netted a hat trick for Korea as Dae Han Bong stopped the puck 14 times in net to easily take a win against Para ice hockey’s original team.  

Norway 4, Kazakhstan 1: With four goals from four different players, Norway handily took care of business against Kazakhstan, allowing their opponents only four shots on goal with stellar defensive play. 

 

Day 3 

Slovakia 2, Sweden 1: Entering the third period, the game was tied at a goal apiece, with Slovakia’s Milos Vecerek breaking that tie off a helper from Joppa. It was a crucial, much-needed goal that kept Slovakia in the running for a Milano Cortina slot following their unexpected loss to Japan the day prior. 

Japan 4, Kazakhstan 0: With three power-play goals and a shutout between the pipes from Wataru Horie, Japan looked fearless in this contest, showcasing why they have a shot at returning to the Paralympic stage.  

Norway 2, Korea 0: The host nation scored twice in the first period, as Fabian Cruickshank Oeverli and Morten Vaernes found the net, and they never looked back, keeping their undefeated streak alive. 

Event ahead

The tournament will continue with two more days games on Sunday and Monday (9-10 November).The top two finishers from the tournament will join host nation Italy in Milano Cortina, along with defending Paralympic champions USA and Canada, Czechia, China, and Germany, the latter five whom have already secured their Paralympic berths by finishing in the top five at the 2025 World Championships A-Pool.  

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will take place from 6-15 March 2026 featuring six sports. The Para ice hockey tournament will be played at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. 

 

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