 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries |  Hungary Ukraine |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 14 – 20 April |
| Teams | 12 |
The 2013 IIHF World Championship Division I was a pair of international Ice hockey tournaments run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Group A contested in Budapest, Hungary[1] and Group B contested in Donetsk, Ukraine,[2] both running from 14 April to 20 April 2013. Divisions I A and I B represent the second and the third tier of the Ice Hockey World Championships.
For the third consecutive year the two nations that had been demoted from the top level, were sent right back. In Group A Kazakhstan and Italy narrowly held off Hungary to achieve promotion, who lost for the first time in their history to South Korea. The Koreans also defeated Great Britain on the final day, relegating the British, and achieving a placement of 21st overall, their best ever finish.
In Group B, Ukraine returned to Group A, Estonia returned to Division II, and the other four nations repeated their placements from 2012. The final day was dramatic though, as it featured head-to-head match-ups to determine promotion and relegation. Both Poland and Ukraine were undefeated until they met in the final game of the tournament, Ukraine came out ahead four to three. The game between the two winless Baltic nations was not as dramatic, as Lithuania scored twelve to stay in Division I.