The winner of the tournament organized in the 4x4 format has been determined among the young hockey players born in 2016 in Astana, the official website of the capital's akimat reports.
The Cross Ice Hockey 4x4 ice hockey tournament, which took place at the Hockey Planet Ice Palace, has officially ended in the capital. 9 teams of hockey clubs "Barys", "Brigantine", "Astana" competed for 3 days.
"The 4x4 format has several advantages for young children. Firstly, on a small field, hockey players can quickly learn how to skate on ice and quickly compete for every puck. Secondly, every hockey player owns the puck most of the time. This increases confidence and strengthens technical skills. Thirdly, a young player learns to make quick and correct decisions. This way, he will be able to see the field and calculate each step. I think that in general, in the three-day competition, the teams were able to accumulate some gaming experience and increase team spirit," said tournament organizer Abai Mukushkin.
Ice hockey, which is popular among winter sports, is also in great demand among residents. For example, 533 children aged 5 to 17 are engaged in the specialized sports school for ice hockey No. 10 of the Akimat of Astana.
According to the results of the competition, Barys-4 became the champion, and the Barys-3 team won the silver medal. The Barys-2 team closed the top three, the best hockey players were awarded in various categories.
It is worth noting that currently traditional 5x5 hockey may undergo changes in the world, if it is possible to introduce the 3x3 format at the 2030 Winter Olympics, then the Barys capital club will compete in the first competition, which will be organized in the 3x3 system on the initiative of the Kontinental Hockey League at the end of December.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/astana/press/news/details/893305