Alexander Karachun (6th, 43rd) with the first two World Cup goals of his career, Kai Wissmann (7th), Yasin Ehliz (14th, 42nd), Daniel Fischbuch (18th, 35th) with his two goals and three, follower Lukas Reichel (26th) in the power play and Samuel Soramies (58th) were successful in front of 3,311 spectators for the selection of the German Ice Hockey Association (DEB). Tommaso Traversa (26′), Luca Frigo (48′), Daniel Mantenuto (50′) and Alex Petan (60′) scored for Italy, who are in acute danger of relegation as penultimate with a meager point from five games.
Germany next against Kazakhstan
The DEB team, which continues against Kazakhstan on Sunday (3:20 p.m.), had previously won 1-0 against Denmark, 3-2 against France and 2-1 against Slovakia, who took part in the Olympics, and 5-3 against the defending champions and record world champion Canada lost.
The two AHL pros Reichel and Leon Gawanke, who traveled on Thursday, were in the squad for the first time. Striker Reichel fitted in conspicuously in the second row alongside Fischbuch from Düsseldorf and Marcel Noebel from Berlin. DEB top scorer Leo Pföderl gave Söderholm a breather. Likewise, regular goalie Philipp Grubauer, who was sitting in the stands.
Some personnel changes in the DEB team
As against France, Berlin’s champion goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger stood between the posts. Gawanke replaced the previously disappointing Mannheim veteran Korbinian Holzer in the second line of defence.
The German team came out of the dressing room excellently: Karachun overcame the Italian keeper Davide Fadani with a nice shot from the turn. And Germany immediately followed suit, giving the Italians hardly any time to catch their breath. The Berlin defender Kai Wissmann rewarded himself with a beautifully completed individual action with a backhand shot for his consistently strong performances in the Finnish capital.
Italy swaps goalkeepers early
After Ehliz deflected a shot from Dominik Bittner into the goal, Fadani’s working day came to an early end. He was replaced by Justin Fazio, who Fischbuch looked out for on the stick hand side before the break. Gawanke, who repeatedly freshened up the German game with precise build-up passes, also hit the post before the break siren.
In the first power play of the game, Lukas Reichel was spot on in the slot and netted. Traversa’s connection hit did not detract from the German game. Fischbuch confirmed his strong form, which he had already shown in the DEL play-offs, and scored his second goal. After that it went on merrily.
Source: red/dpa/sid