After a tense opening period which produced a stalemate, the Kazakh side took the lead early in the second period before they sealed the victory by doubling their advantage in the third to end British hopes of success.

The week-long event saw both Great Britain and Kazakhstan both proving too strong for the rest of the division, and the British side signalled their intentions from the opening day as they thrashed New Zealand 8-1.

That victory came after the Kazakh outfit got off to a slow start with a narrow 2-0 victory over South Korea, who claimed two wins in regulation time as well as a 4-3 overtime success against Poland earlier in the week on their way to finishing third in the group.

The Koreans rounded off the event with a thumping 13-0 win against a hapless Croatia, who managed just one win all week, which came against New Zealand.

Meanwhile at the summit of the division, it became clear early on that the promotion spot would be contested by either Kazakhstan or Great Britain as both recorded relatively straightforward victories on day two.

Kazakhstan beat Poland 4-1 before Britain edged past South Korea with a 3-1 success, and the two sides continued their rich vein of form the next day as the hosts sealed a comprehensive 8-1 win over Croatia.

The Kazakh side were the dominant force in the tournament and proved too strong for a resilient British side in the group decider ©Getty Images



The result was no match for the Kazakhs, however, as they scored 10 unanswered goals without conceding against New Zealand, and the two teams then both secured maximum points on the penultimate day to set up a tense final-game decider.

Much to the disappointment of the home crowd in Scotland, the Kazakh team emerged victorious and they will now compete in the second tier of world women's hockey, just two steps away from a place at the World Women's Championship.

New Zealand, meanwhile, have been relegated to the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women Championship Division II Group B.

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