World champion Sweden is the clear favorite, but the German selection is confident
Enjoy the moment, accept a few congratulations over the phone and then just go to bed. The joy of a German ice hockey team reaching the quarterfinals for the first time at the Olympic Games in 16 years only lasted for a short time. Short, because things continue again in the evening. The opponent is none other than the world champion. In the preliminary round, the German selection lost 0-1 to “Tre Kronor”, but played one of their best games in recent years. A good omen?
In fact, the comparison is invalid. A group game or a playoff game for the semi-finals are two different things. “The Swedes will certainly not take us lightly, they noticed in the first match what we can be capable of,” said captain Marcel Goc before the duel at midday (13.10:XNUMX p.m., CET, live on Eurosport on Free TV ). It is clear that the Scandinavians are of course the favorites. Most of the players play in the Russian KHL, and the majority have had eventful careers in the NHL.
Everything that comes from now on for the national team is an encore. This is exactly what national coach Marco Sturm's boys want to achieve. “Of course the Swedes are the clear favorites. But it's just a game. Why shouldn’t we be able to surprise,” said Patrick Hager confidently. It is also a fact that on a day like today everything has to be right. Internationally, the smallest mistakes are punished, so it is important to keep this rate to a minimum. “We have to be good defensively,” said Christian Ehrhoff.
Maybe Sturm can rely on Patrick Reimer again today. The striker did at least a few laps on the ice in the morning and shot Timo Pielmeier and Dennis Endras, who also got into the equipment. Leo Pföderl also voluntarily did a few laps. Then we went back to the Olympic Village. After lunch, the boys went for another lap. At 18.30:XNUMX p.m. South Korean time the bus goes back to the arena. Maybe to make history.