Künast: “We saw how difficult it is to get promoted again”
U20 national team takes silver at the 2017 IIHF U20 Ice Hockey World Champion Div. I Gr. A in Bremerhaven / Mirko Pantkowski is the best goalkeeper of the tournament
A few weeks after the U20 World Cup in Bremerhaven, we look back again. In the end, second place went to the German team. With just one defeat, the German boys missed out on promotion to the top division. They started the tournament well and were able to defeat Kazakhstan 5:3. But the setback came on the second day: Austria was the name of the opponent and they seemed to be invincible that evening. The neighbors beat them 0-3 DEB-Boys through. The first day off followed, and it seemed to be good for the young talents, because the top favorite Belarus was the opponent in the third game. Thanks to a united team performance, we were able to win the game 4:3 after a penalty shootout. In the fourth game, Mirko Pantkowski was able to celebrate his first shoutout. The DEB-Selection won 2-0 against Norway, who were later relegated. At the end of the World Cup we met the French, who delivered a very good performance throughout the tournament. And even though the newcomer's decision was already clear before the German game, the selection led by BundesYoung talent coach Christian Künast prevailed 6:4 and ultimately won the somewhat thankless silver medal. Next season Belarus will compete in the top division again, Norway will have to go down to the Div. I Group B and Germany will continue to play in Div.I Group A.
Christian Kunast: “On the whole we had a good tournament. Unfortunately, in the end it wasn’t quite enough with a defeat, but that shows us how difficult it is to get back into the top division in such a narrow field of participants.”
Mirko Pantkowski was named the best goalkeeper of all teams at the World Cup.
Overall, those responsible for the U20 World Cup were more than satisfied. On almost every match day, 1.800 spectators came to the Bremerhaven ice arena and loudly supported the teams.
In fact, the audience presented themselves in Bremerhaven not only as expert, but also as extremely fair. After the Belarusians' victory against Austria on Saturday and the equal promotion to the top division, the (German) spectators gave the winner a big applause and even a standing ovation on his lap of honor. From the organization to the implementation and the willingness to help everyone involved, Bremerhaven proved to be the perfect host for an international tournament.