Host's hockey upstarts charge into semis

Two goals from Wang Zhidong helped China beat the Czech Republic 4-3 in a fast, furious and physical qualifying final on Wednesday, sending a noisy crowd off into the night dreaming of glory and a semifinal against four-time gold medalist USA.

When Shen Yifeng gave China a 3-1 lead early in the third period, the win looked safe for the host. However, Czech replies from Vaclav Hecko and Miroslav Novotny tied the game to set up a tense finale, before Wang's goal, with less than two minutes remaining, settled it.

With a fourth victory in four matches, belief is growing among players, rivals and fans that Paralympic hockey debutant China can do something special at the National Indoor Stadium.

No team other than USA or Canada has won Paralympic gold for 20 years, but China is quietly fancying its chances of pulling off a huge shock.

For the host, the first step toward the top podium is to beat the US team in a mouth-watering semifinal on Friday night.

China's relentlessly fast-paced game caught the eye of opponents from the very start of the tournament, and before Wednesday's knockout match, Czech coach Jakub Novotny warned his players to beware of the host's pace.

"We expected that they were going to be fast," Novotny said. "We can't race with them on the ice... we are going to lose this race."

It helps that China currently boasts the tournament's top two scoring leaders in Shen (six goals, four assists) and Wang (four goals, six assists).

As far as Shen is concerned, his squad's success owes much to the staff on the sidelines.

"We have the very best coaching team," the 23-year-old said. "The reason we have progressed so fast is that we are very diligent."

Wang concurs.

"We spent a lot of time on strategy," he said. "And we do everything according to plan."

China's unexpected progression has also been a real bonus for the enthralled home fans inside the National Indoor Stadium.

"I didn't think we would have so many supporting us," Wang said. "It's a huge boost for us when we're on the ice and it encourages us to work harder to do better."

Focus now turns to Friday's semifinal against the USA, a team that has won every major trophy since 2017. But not even the USA's formidable reputation seems to worry a team that Shen proudly declares to be "young and confident".

"Of course we have seen the US ice hockey team play, but the most important thing is we play the best we can," Wang said. "We established our ice hockey team in 2017 and we have taken every step to get to today."

In Wednesday's other qualifying final, the Republic of Korea beat a spirited Italy 4-0 and will now face Canada in the other semifinal on Friday afternoon.

OIS