German selection wins against promoted teams / third place in the group
The German national ice hockey team won the last group game before the quarter-finals next Thursday. National coach Marco Sturm's team beat newly promoted Hungary 4:2 (0:1, 1:1, 3:1) in St. Petersburg on Monday evening, securing third place in Group B and now waiting his opponent in the round of the last eight. The decision will be made on Tuesday in World Cup Group A. The venue will then be determined.
Sturm was able to rely on Constantin Braun again to replace defender Torsten Ankert, who had already left. The BerlinHe, who had sat out against Team USA the day before, gave the coach the green light to play in the afternoon.
As expected, the cheeky Hungarians also apparently had a lot planned. They cleverly narrowed the spaces and tried to keep the German team away from their own zone. Of all people, the long-time Germany legionnaire Istvan Sofron (formerly of Krefeld) took advantage of an uncertainty in the defense and thus took the lead for the promoted team. On the other side, Dominik Kahun and Felix Schütz failed promisingly.
In the second section, the national team noticeably picked up the pace and kept the Hungarians busy at the back throughout. Patrick Hager made it 1-1 in the power play, which was directed into the goal by his own teammate. Previously, Jerome Flaake, Philip Gogulla and Brooks Macek were each a close second winner.
The final round then started tailored to the German selection. Denis Reul put a powerful shot into the net and gave the German team the lead for the first time. However, the joy about it didn't last long. Kevin Wehrs was able to equalize for Hungary to make it 2-2. In a closely contested game, Constantin Braun scored the winning goal in the 58th minute with a shot from the blue line. Marcel Goc sealed the final score 4-2 with his empty net goal 33 seconds before the end of the game.
For the national team, the wait for their opponents next Thursday begins. Only tomorrow, Tuesday, on the last day of the tournament, will it be decided in Group A when and where Marco Sturm's team will play against which opponent.
National coach Marco Surm: "We knew it would be a tough game. The Hungarians kept us busy more than we would have liked. Nevertheless, we found a way back into the game after the first third. The Hungarian goalkeeper made very strong saves. Of course, there was also some luck involved. It's still good that we were able to win such a game."
Gates: 0:1 Istvan Sofron (9:09), 1:1 Patrick Hager (31:42/PP1), 2:1 Denis Reul (41:22), 2:2 Kevin Wehrs (45:14), 3:2 Constantin Braun (57:24), 4:2 Marcel Goc (59:27/EN)
Penalty minutes: Germany 4 – Hungary 8