Devastated DEB squad suffers heavy defeat against the USA.
In the Ice Hockey World Championships held in the Czech Republic, the German runners-up received a tough lesson as they were beaten 1:6 (0:2, 1:2, 0:2) by the USA in their second preliminary round match. This was their first setback after defeating Olympic bronze medalists Slovakia 6:4 in the opening game.
In this match, Yasin Ehliz was the only scorer for the DEB team, which played without NHL players Nico Sturm, Maksymilian Szuber, and Fabio Wagner. The Ostravar Arena in Ostrava accommodated 9109 spectators, including approximately 3000 German fans. The US team, with notable players such as Brady Tkachuk, Michael Kesselring, Johnny Gaudreau, Luke Hughes, Trevor Zegras, and Michael Eyssimont, took revenge for their semi-final loss in Tampere.
The DEB team managed to reach the final last year with a 4-3 overtime win, thanks to Frederik Tiffels' winning goal, after drawing 2:3 in the preliminary rounds. However, this year, the US team is much stronger with 22 NHL pros and players like Tkachuk, Gaudreau, and Zegras. Germany's upcoming opponents on Monday are the eleven-time world champions Sweden, who defeated the Americans 5:2 in the beginning.
Coach Harold Kreis didn't reveal the reason for the absence of three World Championship runners-up, Nico Sturm, Maksymilian Szuber, and Fabio Wagner. Instead, he nominated Maximilian Kastner and Colin Ugbekile. Lukas Reichel, a NHL forward who arrived in Ostrava on Friday evening, was also not in the team. He was replaced by Joshua Samanski.
NHL goalie Philipp Grubauer, who had saved 35 shots against Slovakia, wasn't in the game. Mathias Niederberger replaced him between the posts and prevented the Americans from scoring in the opening seconds. Stachowiak hit the post at the 7th minute, and the DEB team became more aggressive in their attack.
However, the US team regained the lead when Tkachuk successfully deflected Kesselring's shot. Niederberger failed to stop the subsequent shot, causing the German team to fall behind. Alexander Ehl and Ehliz missed great opportunities to even the score, but the Americans scored a goal just three seconds before the end of the second period, making it 1:4.
The German team tried to fight back in the final period, but the US team regained control and maintained their lead.
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Despite the absence of NHL players, Germany's second-place finishers in the previous Ice Hockey World Championships faced a challenging 1:6 defeat against the USA at the World Championships in the Czech Republic. Determined to avenge their semi-final loss from Tampere, the US team, with players like Brady Tkachuk, Michael Kesselring, and Johnny Gaudreau, showcased their strength in the preliminary round match.
Source: www.ntv.de
