Canada got off to a better start in the game. The German selection tried to counter it, but had to accept the first goal after five minutes. Alex Grant put his team ahead after five minutes from the blue line after a questionable check from behind Eric O’Dell’s German goal to Marco Nowak, who was subsequently unable to continue. A little later, the stormy Canadians followed suit: In the 10th minute, Ben Street, who is under contract with RB Munich in the DEL, scored the early 2-0.
And Germany’s entry into the Olympic tournament was to be even more bitter: Just a few seconds after the 2-0 win, Daniel Winnik (11th) made it 3-0. Canada were highly effective in front of goal, using three of their six shots on target. The German team, on the other hand, seemed unsettled, national coach Toni Söderholm at a loss in the first few minutes. Especially in defence, Germany stood too far away from the Canadian attackers and gave the world champion too much space. In the final minutes of the first third, Germany was able to break free, but the team, which only had a chance through Marcel Brandt (18th), did not score.