Germany’s ice hockey juniors missed another surprise in the second preliminary round game at the World Championships in Sweden.
On Thursday (December 28th, 2023), the German U20 team was clearly defeated by hosts and co-favorites Sweden 0:5 (0:1, 0:1, 0:3) in Gothenburg.
In front of almost 11,000 spectators, national coach Tobias Abstreiter’s team held up well for a long time, but couldn’t find a way to counter the 18-year-old Otto Stenberg, who scored three times. On Wednesday, Germany started with a surprising 4:3 against Finland.
Next opponent: Latvia
On Saturday, Latvia is the third German opponent in the preliminary round. Then the DEB team can make it into the World Cup quarter-finals early, like last year, and thus stay in the league.
The last German opponent in the preliminary round is Canada on New Year’s Eve. The best four teams from both groups qualify for the quarterfinals. The last two play in a relegation match to stay in the league.