The DEB team dismantles Kazakhstan.
Amazing performances and plenty of goals: Germany's national ice hockey team dominates Kazakhstan at the World Championships in the Czech Republic. The path to the quarter-finals looks open after the impressive victory.
Following the thrilling first week, the German team at the Ice Hockey World Championships in the Czech Republic has made their way to the quarter-finals. After two significant losses and a remarkable win, head coach Harold Kreis' squad also overcame Kazakhstan 8:2 (2:1, 3:0, 3:1). Winning in the remaining two preliminary round matches will likely secure their advancement.
Newcomer Maksymilian Szuber (2nd), Parker Tuomie from Straubing (3rd), top scorer John-Jason Peterka (22nd), birthday boy Lukas Reichel (29th/51st), Bremerhaven's Lukas Kälble (36th), Berlin's Frederik Tiffels (55th), and Munich's Maximilian Kastner (59th) all found the back of the net for the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) in front of 8,479 onlookers in Ostrava. Wojciech Stachowiak from Ingolstadt also stood out with four assists. Roman Startschenko (8th) and Artjom Koroljow (52nd) scored for the 15th-ranked team in the world, who have only managed a win against France so far. The final match of Group B will see the German team face Poland on Saturday (4:20 pm) and France on Tuesday (12:20 pm), both on ProSieben and MagentaSport.
"We've found our identity," Kreis shared on ProSieben prior to the game. He encouraged his team: "Go out and play like field hockey players!" After taking a well-deserved day off following the 8:1 victory over Latvia, the coach observed a "lot more energy in the team," which they later brought onto the ice.
Reichel with two goals on his birthday
The team's energy led to their first goal after just 62 seconds: Szuber scored from the rebound. A mere 82 seconds later, "Völlig losgelöst" blared from the speakers - Tuomie extended their lead to 2:0. However, when Jonas Müller was on the penalty bench, the underdogs reduced the deficit as Stachowiak outplayed goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer.
The underdogs then picked up momentum, while the German squad, who began the tournament with a 6:4 win against Slovakia and two 1:6 losses against favorites USA and Sweden, permitted more counterattacks. "We continued where we left off," forward Maximilian Kastner said on MagentaSport after the first period, "and then we relaxed a bit."
Peterka re-established the difference with a stunning individual effort just 71 seconds into the second period. In the ensuing minutes, the DEB team spent more time in their defensive zone than desired, yet they remained productive offensively. Reichel celebrated his 22nd birthday with a goal, followed by a stunning slap shot from Kai Wissmann that was disallowed due to offsides. But Kälble made it 5:1 shortly thereafter. In the final third, Reichel marked his special day with a second goal, followed by Tiffels and Kastner.
"We're looking forward to our next games in the quarter-finals," Kreis concluded before the match.
(Photo credit: Friedrich Strauss/dpa)
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After their dominant performance against Latvia, Germany's ice hockey team aiming for the World Championships quarter-finals faces Poland and France. Despite their 8:2 victory over Kazakhstan, the team needs to win their remaining preliminary round matches to secure their advancement.
Germany's impressive victory over Kazakhstan at the World Championships in the Czech Republic places them well for the upcoming group stage matches against Poland and France, where they will look to secure their spot in the quarter-finals of the Ice Hockey World Championships.
Source: www.ntv.de
