Slovakia needs only one point to win the tournament / At 16.30 pm against Team Canada
Will the title defense still work? Deutschland Cup? The last day of the tournament is of crucial importance for the German national team. Today in the last game against Team Canada (16.30:1 p.m., live on SPORTXNUMX) they need a win to be successful at the home tournament for the third time in a row.
But: The team of national coach Marco Sturm is dependent on support. A point is enough for the Slovaks against Switzerland this afternoon to emerge as winners of the four-nation tournament. Even a win and three points for the German selection against the “Ahorn Leaves” would no longer be of any use, as the Slovaks would be ahead in a direct comparison.
But nobody on the home side thinks about that at first. Marco Sturm was happy about yesterday's 3-2 win against the Swiss, but the "how" was much more important to the national coach. “Of course we want to win, but I judge the team’s performance less by the results and more by their appearance.”
What Sturm saw yesterday made him happy. Although his boys didn't get off to a good start at the beginning, the national team improved as the game progressed. “We really dug our teeth into the game in the truest sense of the word,” praised Sturm. In the first match against the Slovaks he lacked the last bit of determination.
The ex-NHL professional was all the more satisfied on Saturday: “Despite two failures, the boys gave it their all and turned the game around with joy and great ambition.” There was also hard physical effort and many blocked shots. Just as an international tournament demands.
However, the remarkable effort claimed victims: Yasin Ehliz will not be able to play today. There is a question mark behind Benedikt Kohl. Justin Krueger, like the other players, has already left Bern because there is another match in the Champions Hockey League on the program next Tuesday. The line around Felix Schütz and Philip Gogulla was not planned for today's game anyway.