QIQIHAR, Northeast China, April 21 (Xinhua) -- With five defeats from five games, China was relegated to Division II at the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World Championship Division I Group A action here on Saturday.

    The Netherlands bounced back from the opening three losses to clinch its last two matches, earning a lopsided 9-3 win against China in grand fashion.

    For the second consecutive game, the Chinese gave up multiple early goals as the Netherlands skated to a 5-0 lead in the first period of the game.

    Diederick Hagemeijer added another goal 5:05 into the second period to make it a 6-0 lead.

    The Chinese briefly recovered from the Holland's onslaught, scoring two goals in a 1:32 span in the period, but the joy was short lived as the the Netherlands exploded with another pair of goals in the third period, putting the icing on the win as team Netherlands earned the goal-heavy 9-3 win.

    Wang Dakai scored a consoling goal for China in the third period, but it's far from overturning the demotion to Division II.

    "We are a better team in our match up against China, so we win. China played well in the second period and fended off our attacks, but our advantage from the first period is enough to secure the triumph. Now we remain in Division I, so we have achieved our goal," said Tommie Hartogs, head coach of Netherlands.

    Chinese head coach Xiang Shuqing complained about refereeing.

    "We were fully prepared for the decisive game, but the referee's judgment put us into an awkward condition," Xiang said. "Our player was penalized out just a few seconds into the game, so we have to cope with the setback of three-to-five and four-to-five. We really learn something from the tournament in spite of being relegated.

    "In China, there are only 200 ice hockey players and two professional teams. How could you ensure a strong team from such a source. We need to strengthen the backup and maintain a sustainable supply.

    "One bothering problem is the players can't convert their training to match. They train in one way, but compete in another way."

    In the other match-ups of the round, France will play Kazakhstan for a berth at the World Championship in Moscow, and Poland to face Estonia.