“Simply proud”: Ice hockey team wants first World Cup medal in 70 years

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From BZ/dpa

Germany’s ice hockey team continues on Saturday in the World Cup semi-final against the USA. After the convincing quarter-final victory against Switzerland, the team expects a chance there as well.

It’s going well for ice hockey Germany at the moment: First the 3:1 (1:0, 2:1, 0:0) in the quarterfinals of the World Cup against Switzerland on Thursday. And one day later, the DEB was also awarded the contract for the 2027 World Cup.

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There were only a few problems with a piece of luggage on the return flight from Riga to Finnish Tampere: The return flight on Friday morning was therefore delayed by around an hour.

“I’m just proud. What the team did was outstanding,” said the best German World Cup player to date, NHL attacker Nico Storm.

Germany's head coach Harold Kreis smiles during the group A match between Denmark and Germany at the ice hockey world championship in Tampere, Finland, Thursday, May 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

National coach Harold Kreis with a slight smile on his face. That doesn’t happen often. Despite this, he is extremely satisfied with his team Photo: picture alliance/ AP

At the weekend, the selection of the German Ice Hockey Federation has the opportunity to win the first World Cup medal in 70 years for the third time after 2010 and 2021. At the 1953 tournament in Switzerland, in which only four teams took part, Germany took silver.

“Then it’s about time again,” said the national coach Harold Circle in addition. In 2010 and 2021, Germany defeated its arch-rival from Switzerland in the quarter-finals and ended up fourth in the World Cup.

“This time we want to get something”

“It’s great for us to have another chance. I think we’re going into the game with a lot of energy and want to get something this time,” said the captain Moritz Mueller before the semifinals on Saturday against the USA (5:20 p.m. / Sport1 and MagentaSport).

Scorer of Germanys 1st goal Nico Sturm during the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships preliminary round group A match between Austria and Germany in Tampere on May 19, 2023. during the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships preliminary round group A match between Austria and Germany in Tampere on May 19, 2023. LEHTIKUVA / VESA MOILANEN - FINLAND OUT. NO THIRD PARTY SALES.

Best German striker so far: Nico Sturm Photo: picture alliance/ Lehtikuva

“We just have to play like we did against Switzerland. With heart and soul, with passion and everyone simply for everyone,” said NHL forward John-Jason Peterka. The second semi-final is contested by record world champions Canada and Latvia. The game for third place and the final are on Sunday.

Also achieved direct Olympic qualification

For the new national coach Kreis as the successor to Toni Söderholm, his first World Cup as head coach is already a great success. Targets set by the DEB Executive Committee for this World Cup were reaching the quarter-finals and direct qualification for the Olympic Winter Games in Milan in 2026. That too has now been achieved after the quarter-final victory against Switzerland.

“I’m in incredibly good hands with this team. I’m not worried The performance is right, the effort is right. There’s nothing I have to get upset about,” Kreis said of his team, which, given 15 injury-related cancellations before the World Cup, hardly anyone believed capable of anything.

The contract on Friday from the world association IIHF for the 2027 World Cup was the icing on the cake for the DEB. The only competitor was Kazakhstan. The tournament is classified by the association as financially important in order to be able to implement planned sporting reforms.

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