Rosenheim's local heroes are on the ice against Sweden today (15.30:1 p.m., live on SPORTXNUMX).
With the Rosenheim native Sinan Akdag (Adler Mannheim) and Patrick Hager (Kölner Haie), the German national ice hockey team meets Sweden today as part of the Euro Hockey Challenge (15.30:1 p.m., live on SPORTXNUMX). “Playing with the national team in the place where you spent your youth is something extraordinary,” says striker Hager, who, like Akdag, can welcome numerous friends and relatives to the stadium.
For the Haie attacker it is the first game after the playoff exit with the KEC. Hager has only been at the German selection since this morning alongside his Cologne teammates Philip Gogulla, Moritz Müller and Torsten Ankert. In the past few days, the quartet had been keeping fit individually on the ice in the cathedral city. Hager: “It won’t be easy for me to get back into the rhythm. I hope I can help the team.”
Sinan Akdag is also celebrating a return to his old place of work. The Mannheim defender remembers a very special highlight in Rosenheim - more precisely on April 28, 2005. At that time, Germany lost 1-3 to the USA, a team full of NHL stars like Mike Modano. Robert Müller was in the German goal.
Akdag: “I still remember it clearly. I rode my bike to the ice rink and got autographs from the German team.” Already on the team back then: Marcel Goc, with whom Akdag plays today. As a youth player at SB Rosenheim, Akdag even stood on the ice as a flag bearer. “That was a really great honor.” The rest is known.
While Gogulla, Moritz Müller, Torsten Ankert, Tobias Rieder, Simon Danner, Leo Pföderl, Andreas Jenike and Constantin Braun will be rested, Marcel Noebels will join Hager in the squad. Mathias Niederberger is in goal.
How to play: Niederberger (Pielmeier) – J. Müller, Akdag; huckster, gaunt, kink; N. Goc, Reul; Noebels, M. Goc, Höfflin – Brandt, Ebner; Ullmann, Schütz, Macek – Brückner, Koh; Buchwieser, Pietta, Flaake.