LAKE PLACID — Team Kazakhstan defeated Team Japan 8-1 to bring home the bronze medal in men’s hockey at the World University Games.

Despite their large cheering section, including the silver-medal-winning women’s hockey team, the men were outclassed on the ice Sunday.

Maxim Mukhametov of Kazakhstan, who like all his teammates attends Kazakhstan Academy of Sport and Tourism, scored the first goal of the game on a power play at 6:51. He was assisted by Madi Dikhanbek and Batyrlan Muratov.

Kazakhstan poured it on in the second period with an unassisted goal by Sayan Daniyar at 2:05 to make it 2-0. Two-and-a-half minutes later, Maxim Musorov was assisted by Maxim Mukhametov and Madi Dikhanbek to take a 3-0 lead.

After Kazakhstan’s third goal, Japan’s head coach Perry Douglas pulled goaltender Eiki Sato for Toshiki Nakamura, but it didn’t help. Kazakhstan’s Alikhan Omirbekov made it 4-0 a little more than a minute later, assisted by Mukhametov. Then Batyrlan Muratov scored a short-handed goal, his sixth of the tournament, at 18:28 to make it 5-0. He was also assisted by Mukhametov.

Japan finally got on the board at 19:07 in the second with a power play goal by Taiga Abe, a student at Toyo University. He was assisted by YutoGondaira and Junya Owa to make it 5-1.

Early in the period, Ali Kassenov made it 6-1, Kazakhstan. At 7:49, Mukhametov scored his second goal of game that upped the score to 7-1. He was assisted by Batyrlan Muratov and Danil Butenko. Two minutes later, Butenko scored the final time to make it 8-1, thanks to assists by Mukhametov and Ruslin Demin.

The men’s hockey bronze made 10 medals for Team Kazakhstan in these games.