Germany beats France 4-2 / Kettner: “Deserved promotion”
The German U18 women's national team won the last game of the 2017 IIHF U18 Women's Ice Hockey World Championship Div.IA 4:2 (1:0/2:1/1:1) against France and thereby achieved promotion to the top division .
The German U18 women had a hard time getting into the game at the beginning, but improved towards the middle of the first third and were able to create a few opportunities. Franziska Feldmeier was thwarted by the strong French goalkeeper, but a few minutes later Lea Welcke did better and scored with a deflected shot to make it 1-0 for the German team. The team went into the first break with this narrow lead.
Right at the start of the middle third, Naemi Bär aimed just right and extended the German lead to 2-0. Just three minutes later, Sarah Kubiczek scored the next goal with a follow-up shot, but the French were able to reduce the score to 3-1 through Chloe Aurard just before the second break.
The German team also dominated the game in the final third, but was unable to increase their lead despite having the most promising chances. And so things got exciting again. Exactly ten minutes before the end, the French made it 3-2 and took the goalkeeper off the ice one minute before the end. But the German U18 women kept their calm and scored an empty net goal 19 seconds before the end to make the final score 4-2.
Tommy Kettner, national coach of the U18 women's national team: “France presented itself very strongly in the last game and was a real test. Despite conceding two goals today, we held our nerve until the end and deservedly won promotion. A special thank you goes not only to the team for their commitment, but also to the entire staff team around Viona Harrer, Alfons Gebhardt, Dr. Manuel Berger, Astrid Leinsle and Julia Graunke, who did an excellent job throughout the week. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the helpers and supporters who accompanied us throughout the season.”
Germany: May (Trosdorff) – Botthof, Klinger; Schwamborn, Haider, Feldmeier (C) – Sabus (A), Brendel; Kubiczek, Bär, Kaiser – Fiedler, Lea Welcke; Lilli Welcke, Kubiczek, Luisa Welcke, – Ott, Krause, Becker (A)
Tore: 1:0 Lea Welcke (13:10), 2:0 Naemi Bär (32:38), 3:0 Sarah Kubiczek (35:37), 3:1 Chloe Aurard (38:06), 3:2 Chloe Aurard (50:00), 4:2 Luisa Kaiser (59:41/EN)
Penalty minutes: Germany 2 – France 4
You can find detailed statistics here