After winning gold in the International Ice Hockey Federation Division IA World Championships last year, Thomas Larkin ’13 and Team Italy will lace up the skates in the 2012 World Championships in Finland and Sweden. Larkin will be the only collegiate player competing in the international event.
Larkin, a native of Italy, and his teammates will be playing teams such as the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, and the defending world champion Russia. Each country in the world championships features the world’s best players from the National Hockey League and the Kontinental Hockey League.
Thomas Larkin '13, who has been drafted by the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, will again be a captain for the Raiders this coming season.
“This is great for Thomas, the ԱƵ hockey program, and collegiate hockey,” said ԱƵ head coach Don Vaughan. “He has worked very hard to be in this position and we are all proud of him here at ԱƵ. It going to be great to see him compete with the best players in the world and it should be a valuable experience for him”
Larkin’s Italian squad faces Germany in the first game of the tournament in Stockholm, Sweden. The Italians are in Group S, which will play their preliminary games in Stockholm. Others in Group S include the Czech Republic, Russia, Sweden, and Norway. The matchup with the Germans begins 12:15 p.m. local time (5:15 a.m. EST).
After a day off, Larkin will be back on the ice at 5:15 a.m. EST Sunday with a game against Denmark and then Tuesday, the Italians will take on Norway at 6:15 a.m. EST. The tough part of the schedule begins May 11 with a matchup against the Czech Republic and then it’s the Swedes on May 12, followed by the Russians in the Italians’ last game of the preliminary round.
The preliminary round ends May 15 and then it’s on to the playoff round and the quarterfinals on May 17. The semifinals will take place May 19 in Helsinki, Finland, and then the bronze and gold medal games will be May 20 in Helsinki.
Unfortunately, there will be no Italian games on television either in the United States and Canada, but fans can view all games live online through the IIHF World Championships website.