Lackluster but effective: The German national ice hockey team has successfully started the second phase of the World Cup preparations.
The team of national coach Toni Söderholm won the first friendly in front of their home crowd in Rosenheim on Thursday evening 4:2 (0:0, 2:2, 2:0) against Switzerland. Another test match against the World Cup preliminary round opponent is scheduled for Saturday in Rosenheim.
“I liked the commitment today. It’s important that we get even more clarity in our actions,” said Söderholm after the match.
Stefan Loibl (25th), Alexander Karachun (37th), Danjo Leonhardt (48th) and Daniel Schmölz (60th) scored in front of 1900 spectators in Upper Bavaria for a difficult victory for the DEB team, which still had a few NHL and DEL -Professionals were missing and increased significantly in the last third. Marco Miranda (23rd) and Luca Fazzini (32nd) had previously put the Swiss in the lead twice.
After the two friendlies in Chomutov against hosts Czech Republic (2: 6/2: 0), Söderholm had brought five new players and Nuremberg coach Tom Rowe to the team as an assistant on the boards. “It gives us the chance to rotate a little more,” said Söderholm, whose team got into the game better in the middle of the first third after slight initial difficulties. Karachun (8th) and Nürnberger Schmölz (9th) failed from close range at Swiss keeper Melvin Nyffeler.
Defensively, the DEB team was always vulnerable, the strong goalie Niklas Treutle from the Nürnberg Ice Tigers prevented an early deficit several times. Loibl had the best German chance in the first section (16th).
Switzerland remained the more dangerous team after the first break, Miranda rewarded the Swiss with the deserved lead. But the Söderholm team, who did without former NHL pro Dominik Kahun, came back out of nowhere: Loibl scored from an acute angle for a quick equaliser.
Both teams open-minded
Both teams then opened their sights, first Fazzini restored the old gap before, with a bit of luck, Schwenningen’s Karachun equalized again before the second break.
Germany started aggressively in the final section. Luca Münzenberger (47′) failed with a shot from close range before Leonhardt (EC Salzburg) and Schmölz decided the game in favor of the hosts.
After the second game in Rosenheim on Saturday (3 p.m./Sport1 and MagentaSport), there are still short training camps and games in Dresden (April 26 to 30) and Schwenningen (May 5 to 8) before the DEB team goes to the World Cup (13th to 29th May) to Finland.
Germany 4-2 Switzerland (0-0, 2-2, 2-0) – Goals: 0-1 Miranda (22-19), 1-1 Loibl (24-49), 1-2 Fazzini (31-51 ), 2: 2 Karachun (37:14), 3: 2 Leonhardt (48:22), 4: 2 Schmölz (59:02). – Penalty minutes: Germany 6 – Switzerland 8th – Spectators: 1900 in Rosenheim