Aussie Flyers Finish Fourth in 2026 IIHF Worlds Division 2A

The Australian Women’s team, the Aussie Flyers, finish fourth at the 2026 IIHF World Championships Division 2A tournament. Surviving the drop on the first opportunity after promotion last season, the tournament was a successful first fore into this level for the Aussie Flyers.

A Shorter Tournament

It was an unusual tournament for the Aussie Flyers with 1 less team and game than normal. Pre-tournament North Korea announced its withdrawal. The IIHF decided the tournament could still proceed with a re-jigged schedule.

The Australians arrived in Bled, Slovenia a few days before puck-down with the good vibes of 2025 promotion still evident.

Due to the North Korean withdrawal, the IIHF initially decided to remove relegation for 2026. However, the IIHF overturned that decision and reinstated relegation at the start of proceedings. Australia had their work cut out to survive the drop and stay in the division.

A Slow Start

Australia started the tournament slowly with a comprehensive 0-5 defeat in their first game against the eventual winners Poland. It was a reality check for the Aussies after such a good tournament in Division 2B last year. Olivia Last was named Australian MVP for the game.

The Aussies looked better and more competitive in their second game against Taiwan. They went behind in the second period but continued to fight and were rewarded in the third period with an equalising goal to Phoebe Roberts. No one could score a winner in overtime, so the game went to penalties where Taiwan scored twice to take the win. Matilda Pethrick was the pick of the Aussie players for MVP of the game.

Impressive Finish

The second game performance gave the team confidence that they could compete at this level. The Aussies entered the Ledena Dvorana in Bled against the home team, Slovenia, in game 3 with the belief they could turn their tournament around.

Despite going down early in the first, the Aussies kept themselves in the game and took it to the Slovenians. Stephanie Newmark scored late in the first period to keep the Aussies within one goal at the first break. In period two, the Aussie Flyers took the lead for the first time in the tournament with 2 unanswered goals by AWIHL star Christina Julien. In the third period, the Aussies could not contain the home team, and even though remaining close, Slovenia levelled and re-took the lead to win the game.

Australia’s narrow loss would not dishearten the team. In the fourth and final game of the tournament, Australia took on Iceland. The Aussies kicked into winning gear. The Flyers took an early lead in the first period and never looked back. They maintained their lead in each period and managed to break down the Icelandic defence in every period on the way to a convincing 4-1 victory.

Christina Julien was named Australian MVP for game three and Courtney Mahoney took the award for game four. Christina Julien also took home the Australian MVP award for the whole tournament.

Building Block for 2027

The final game win enabled the Flyers to survive the drop. The Aussies finished fourth ahead of Iceland in the final standings. A building block for which the team can build upon next year in 2027 as they look to progress into medal contention.