World Cup debutants trump everything
Germany marvels at magic poison dwarfs
By Tobias Nordman
05/23/2023, 8:32 p.m
Germany packs the bitter start of the World Cup remarkably and, after three defeats at the start, rushes into the quarter-finals with four wins in a row. Switzerland, which has so far been grandiose, awaits there. But Germany is not without a chance because of two unexpected heroes.
The German national ice hockey team stormed into the quarter-finals of the World Cup – and stormed ahead, no, conjured up Wojciech Stachowiak. After four minutes, the Ingolstadt striker got up and away, hit the French goal with full force, was checked, flew to his knees, got up and played a brilliant back pass. Alexander Ehl, who ran along, only had to hammer the puck into the goal – which he did. The DEB team led 1-0 and were on their way to a duel with arch-rivals Switzerland on Thursday at lightning speed.
National coach Harold Kreis’s team scored four more goals after this magical goal. Frederik Tiffels (16th), NHL striker John-Jason Peterka (23rd), Daniel Fischbuch (44th), who had returned to the squad, and Maximilian Kastner (54th) scored the undisputed victory in front of 8598 spectators in the Nokia Arena in Tampere , who made the sixth quarter-final participation in seven years perfect. “I’d love to get back on the ice. Thursday can’t come soon enough,” said Marcel Noebels, who converted a fantastic penalty two years ago to win against his upcoming opponent Switzerland. “I’m taking good moments from the past with me, but the boys are up for a new story.”
Peterka is called and delivers
Once again it would be a remarkable one. Because Germany first had to collect themselves after the surprising departure of successful coach Toni Söderholm, because his successor Kreis is a World Cup debutant, because the team had to cope with so many top-class cancellations, because there were three narrow defeats despite great performances at the start against the top Nations Sweden, Finland and USA gave. And because heroes are born in this tournament that no one previously thought of. The least surprising: NHL pro Nico Sturm. Defensively, the World Cup debutant was expected to play a formative role, but it was not necessarily to be expected that he would also lead and shine offensively. Off the ice, he also appears self-confident, regularly admonishing his teammates to refrain from any frills. As straightforward as he is as a guy, he plays in a straightforward manner. And he expects that from everyone.
Top talent Peterka, for example, had to pick up a crisp reprimand early in the tournament. One that has borne fruit. Against France he played purposefully again and scored well worth seeing. After his gala against Hungary, Sturm had already praised the 21-year-old and emphasized his outstanding qualities. carrot and stick.
Clever plays and clever forechecking
So far, however, it has not crashed through the fourth row of the national team. There the internationally previously unknown Justin Schütz, Parker Tuomie and Stachowiak play. And they play outstandingly, are the great German World Cup discovery. They’ve been playing together ever since the prep. That pays off. The series looks perfectly coordinated. Clever moves and clever forechecking characterize them. And now also goals and ice hockey art. The way Stachowiak remained stable before the 1-0 win against France, fully focused, that was simply world class. He had been far removed from this attribute so far. He only had his breakthrough in his fourth DEL season. With 39 scorer points in 74 games, he had played his way onto the national coach’s note.
However, no one expected that he would fly through the roof in Tampere. The series wasn’t meant for shine, but for hard work. She now combines both. In the close duel with Austria, they ended up on the ice – and not the nominal top line around the small and tricky Dominik Kahun, Tiffels and Peterka, which is getting better and better. “She (Editor’s note: the boys in the fourth row) They just play ice hockey,” praised Sturm after the duel with the neighbors, who just prevented relegation against Hungary on Monday. “You don’t do that much with the disc on the blue line.” For Stachowiak, the NHL professional had a special one Praise: “Wojo was our best player on the ice.” And Tuomie, whom he has known for a long time from times together in the junior national teams and at college, he described as a “real poison dwarf”, but who also “bruted something on the disc can”.
Sensational solo against Austria
Poison dwarf, that’s actually not a nice word. It resonates with something malicious, something hateful. In sports, however, the opposite is often the case. There is something appreciative about Giftzwerg. Deliver poisonous gnomes, keep the big stars free. “It’s a hard-working series,” praised Kreis, “they work well together, talk to each other a lot, have good chemistry and implement our style of play well. They check, they fight and use magic. Like against France and even more so against Austria And again and again in the center of attention Stachowiak, who with his 1.85 meters physically no longer passes as a poison dwarf, but fulfills all the other attributes of biliousness and intransigence.The 2-1 by World Cup newcomer Tuomie he cleverly put down, that He scored 3:1 himself after a furious solo. When the Austrians were about to catch up, he sprinted through the opposing third, past everyone and pushed the puck through goalie David Kickert’s pads.
“We are three guys who just have a lot of fun together, in the dressing room and on the ice,” said Stachowiak, who after a strong play-off with Ingolstadt only made his debut in the national team at the World Cup dress rehearsal a week and a half ago the Austria game. “We are three good skaters, fast players who bring energy and play as simply as possible.” The rest of the team has now adapted this spirit more and more – which fuels hopes against the grandiose Swiss players. Just like the last results against the Confederates. Whenever it came down to it, the most favored Switzerland lost to the DEB selection: in the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals, in the 2018 Olympic decision-making game on the way to the silver medal in Pyeongchang and in 2021.
“We will be prepared. The Swiss will certainly not dictate the game. We will play against them on an equal footing,” says Kreis. “With our squad, with our will, with our skills and our unity, it will be a very good game.” As early as 2010, he assisted Uwe Krupp in the first coup against Switzerland in Mannheim. “Harry has a lot of experience and he has this vision and the composure he radiates. He gives us players responsibility. I think that helps the team, that’s why we have such a strong chest,” said goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger after his first shootout against France. If the Swiss were the “white ballet, what would Germany be like,” Kreis was asked in the past few days. His quick-witted answer: “I’m not that familiar with opera and ballet, but I certainly don’t know the dying swan. “