4-3 win after extra time in Sochi against Russia
Mini-sensation for the German national ice hockey team: Due to a much more courageous performance in the second comparison with hosts Russia, the selection of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund was successful (DEB) on Saturday a deserved 4:3 (1:1, 0:2, 2:0, 1:0) win after extra time against the favorites.
In front of 11.008 spectators in the “Bolshoy Ice Dome”, the guests showed great morale and turned a 1:3 deficit in the final period into a 3:3 after 60 minutes before the winning goal was scored in overtime. Phase II of the World Cup preparation starts for the national players on Tuesday. In Weißwasser and Dresden the opponent next weekend is Slovakia.
As announced, Dustin Strahlmeier from the celebrated Schwenninger Wild Wings his debut in the German goal, after Mathias Niederberger had guarded the box the day before. The goalkeeper was powerless against Alexander Khokhlachyov's hammer after less than four minutes. However, the people in front of him were not deterred by the goal. Marc Michaelis cheekily scored the 1-1 - his second goal in the second international match.
Germany started the second third outnumbered. Alexander Dergachyov used the space available to take the hosts' lead again. Nevertheless, the selection of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund eV hid (DEB) did not and repeatedly came up with courageous attacks. Mirko Höfflin was unlucky at 1:3 a minute before the end of the third. After attempting to block, the striker unfortunately deflected the puck into his own net with his hand.
But that shouldn't have been it. In the final section, the guests rewarded themselves for their fighting spirit and started a comeback: Simon Sezemsky was able to celebrate his first goal in the national jersey in his second international match. Now the home team was wobbling. Maxi Kammerer also saw it that way, making the German bench rejoice with his 3:3. A little sensation. In extra time, Bernhard Ebner brought the puck in front of the goal - and somehow the puck ended up in the net. The mini sensation was perfect.
Germany: Strahlmeier (Niederberger) – Zerressen, Daschner; Michaelis, Höfflin, Uvira – Bender, Brückner; Krämmer, Loibl, Elsner – Ebner, Sezemsky; Holzmann, Danner, Schmölz – Nowak, Wagner; Kammerer, harbor judge
Gates: 1:0 Alexander Khokhlachyov (3:41), 1:1 Marc Michaelis (7:23), 2:1 Alexander Dergachyov, 3:1 Nikolai Demidov (38:58), 3:2 Simon Sezemsky (45:38), 3:3 Maxi Kammerer (50:12), 3:4 Bernhard Ebner (63:08)
Click here for the complete statistics: http://online.fhr.ru/en/69512.html
National coach Marco Sturm: "Compared to the first game, the second match was a noticeable improvement in performance. My team was braver, more aggressive and deserved the win after being two goals behind in the last third. We had a very good week with a very good finish. I am satisfied with the debutants. We want to continue on this path in the coming week."
Dustin Strahlmeier (Schwenninger Wild Wings): “We were better than in the first match and had more confidence, especially going forward. We were rewarded for that. When the Russians turned up the heat it was difficult, but we held up well. Afterwards we went harder in front of the goal, so I think the win was deserved. The boys helped me a lot. Of course it's great to be able to celebrate the first win for the national team in the first game. I wasn't actually nervous, but it was a different feeling, a special tension. Internationally everything is much faster. But it's great fun.
DEB-President Franz Reindl: “Beating Russia is always something special. Overall, it was a great performance by our team, which was completely re-formed by Marco Sturm. It was a great pleasure to watch.”