Stars' Vas Wins World Championship Gold In Japan
April 22, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Iowa Chops News Release
SAPPORA, Japan -- Iowa Stars left wing Janos Vas made the most of the long flight to Japan after the Stars' season finale on April 13. This past Saturday (April 19) in Sappora, Japan, Vas helped propel Team Hungary to the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation's Division I Group B World Championship with a 4-2 win over Ukraine. The Hungarians not only won the title, but the win also qualified them for the top division of the 2009 IIHF Championships in Switzerland where they will compete with all the heavyweights of international hockey for the first time since 1939.
Vas scored the first goal Saturday midway through the first period and Hungary would eventually build a 3-0 lead early in the second. Ukraine made it a game again with a pair of scores to get within one at 3-2 after two periods.
Vas' older brother Marton put the game away with a shorthanded two-on-one conversion with 31 seconds left in the game. Ironically, it was Janos who was serving time in the box during his brother's clincher.
Janos finished the tournament with a goal in his three games, while Marton was second on the squad with four goals in five games.
Team Hungary finished the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record and will be competing in the top division for the first time in 70 years next year, making this win a historic one for Hungarian hockey.
Janos Vas missed the first two games of the tournament while en route from Des Moines to Japan.
The World Championship concluded what was a very good year for Vas. He finished his Iowa Stars 2007-2008 AHL campaign with career highs in goals (17), assists (24) and points (41). He finished third on the club in overall scoring while also becoming the second Star to play in all 80 games.
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