German ice hockey vice world champions in the World Championship quarter-finals

Wednesday, 22. May 2024 | German ice hockey vice world champions in the World Championship quarter-finals

Goal-hungry DEB team faces Switzerland in the World Cup quarter-finals// NATIONAL TEAMA critical moment was followed by a strong reaction: the DEB team stormed into the quarter-finals of the World Championship in the Czech Republic with power ice hockey. Switzerland awaits them there on Thursday (16:20).

While the Swiss finished second in Group A in Prague, runners-up Germany finished third in Group B in Ostrava. As with last year's silver medal coup at the 2023 World Championships in Riga and Tampere, not everything went according to plan at first. The opening win against Slovakia (6:4) was followed by two 1:6 defeats against the top nations USA and Sweden.

The quarter-final qualification was on the brink. Captain Moritz Müller spoke of a "critical moment", but one that was quickly overcome. "We addressed a few things and came back stronger," said Müller. And how: Germany won the four remaining games - including the 8:1 win against Latvia and the 8:2 win against Kazakhstan.

Historically accurate DEB offense

Germany scored a strong 34 goals in seven games, setting an association record. Never before had a German national team scored so many goals in a World Cup preliminary round. This year, only the two top teams from the USA (37) and Sweden (35) were more prolific.

The excellent shooting percentage (16.6 percent) and the power play (35.3 percent) - both the best of any team in the group stage - guaranteed the flood of goals.

Strong Munich

The three Munich players in the squad also played a major part in the team's progression to the quarter-finals. Goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger prevented a heavier defeat against the USA and also stood between the posts in the 4:2 win against Poland. Maxi Kastner was involved in five goals - including the opening goal in the final group game against France (6:3). Afterwards he said: "We always found solutions."

Even more productive was Yasin Ehliz, who is wearing the 'A' on his chest as one of the assistant captains at this World Cup. The Red Bulls' number 42 scored nine points in seven games and thus leads the internal scorer list together with our former player JJ Peterka and Leo Pföderl.

National coach Kreis satisfied

"Offense is hard work. Sometimes it looks easy, but the offense usually starts with a good defense. It's important that we get the disc out of the third well and then get the runs right," explained national coach Harold Kreis, who goes into the quarter-finals with a good feeling: "I already said after the last group game that we'd take any quarter-final opponent. Now it's Switzerland, there's a certain rivalry between the teams and that's why we're all looking forward to it."

The clash with the Swiss is increasingly becoming a classic. Since 2018, the national team has met their neighbors three times in knockout matches - and won each of these duels. The 2:1 win at the 2018 Olympic Games and the 3:1 victory in the quarter-finals of last year's World Cup are unforgettable. Incidentally, Germany won silver at both tournaments.

The overall record: the two teams have played each other 161 times. There were 73 wins for Germany, 71 wins for Switzerland and 17 draws.

Switzerland with another strong preliminary round

The expectations in Switzerland are once again huge. The Swiss coped with the pressure in the preliminary round. They delivered. Victories against top nations such as the hosts Czech Republic (2:1 n. P.) or Finland (3:1) are no longer surprises. Their only defeat came against world champions Canada (2:3).

With star defenseman Roman Josi (eleven scoring points at this World Championship) and forwards Nico Hischier and Kevin Fiala (ten each), there are top players from the NHL in the line-up. They are not the only cracks who earn their money in the best league in the world. The class of the Swiss is undisputed. But Kreis and his players know that they can beat their opponents. They have proven that in past duels.

The quarter-final will be broadcast live on MagentaSport, ProSieben and Sportdeutschland.TV.