Kazakhstan was thoroughly beaten up
DEB cracks fly “completely detached” towards the quarterfinals
May 18, 2024, 7:14 a.m
Germany also celebrated a clear victory against Kazakhstan at the Ice Hockey World Cup and has its sights firmly set on the quarter-finals. The atmosphere in the team is brilliant. The national coach praised his players even before the first face-off: “We have found our identity.”
The German players around birthday boy Lukas Reichel joked on the ice after their next offensive fireworks display, and in the stands the supporters who had traveled with them euphorically sang the evergreen “Oh, how beautiful that is”: Germany has made it to the quarter-finals at the Ice Hockey World Cup in the Czech Republic fully hit. After two clear defeats and a landslide win, national coach Harold Kreis’ team also defeated Kazakhstan 8:2 (2:1, 3:0, 3:1). Another success from the remaining two preliminary round games will probably be enough to advance.
“It was a good ice hockey game, which we also enjoyed as a group,” said Kreis at MagentaSport, adding that his team was now “much more relaxed” after the blows against the USA and Sweden. “The whole team showed today that we are a good team and have character,” said Ingolstadt’s Wojciech Stachowiak, who shone with four assists – before looking ahead to Poland’s next opponent on Saturday (4:20 p.m./MagentaSport and ProSieben). said: “I am very convinced that it will work again like it did today.”
“Just go out and play hockey!”
NHL debutant Maksymilian Szuber (2nd), Straubinger Parker Tuomie (3rd), NHL striker John-Jason Peterka (22nd), Reichel (29th/51st), Bremerhaven’s Lukas Kälble (36th), Berlin Frederik Tiffels (55th) and Munich’s Maximilian Kastner (59th) scored the goals for the selection of the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) in front of 8,479 spectators in Ostrava. Roman Startschenko (8th) and Artyom Korolyov (52nd) scored for the world number 15. After the game against newly promoted Poland, vice world champion Germany will face France on Tuesday (12.20 p.m./ProSieben and MagentaSport).
“We have found our identity,” Kreis said before the game on ProSieben, his order to the team: “Just go out and play hockey!” After the first day off as a reward for the 8-1 win against Latvia, the coach noticed “a lot more energy in the team” and “we’re bringing it onto the ice now.”
Peterka shines with a great goal
After 62 seconds, this energy led to the first goal: Szuber scored in the margin. Just 82 seconds later, “Totally detached” was booming from the speakers again – Tuomie increased the score to 2-0. But when Jonas Müller sat in the penalty box, the Kazakhs shortened the game: Startschenko outwitted goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer. The outsiders then found their way into the game better and the German team allowed more counterattacks. “We picked up where we left off,” said Kastner after the first third at MagentaSport, “then we slacked off a bit.”
With a remarkable individual action just 71 seconds after the restart, Peterka restored the old distance. In the direct counterattack, Grubauer was lucky with a shot against the crossbar. On the other hand, coach Galym Mambetaliev changed the goalkeeper after just 22 minutes. The DEB selection remained effective at the front: NHL striker Reichel celebrated his 22nd birthday with his first tournament goal – followed by a brilliant slap shot from Kai Wissmann, whose goal was withdrawn due to offside following video evidence. The 5:1 by Kälble followed only a little later. In the final third, Reichel crowned his day of honor with goal number two, with Tiffels and Kastner each adding afterwards.