Greatly improved German selection and Niklas Treutle in great form are not enough in the 0-3 defeat against the star ensemble from Team USA / against South Korea on Wednesday
A pity! Despite their best tournament performance to date, the German national ice hockey team suffered their first defeat without scoring at the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on Monday afternoon. National coach Marco Sturm's team lost 0:3 (0:0, 0:2, 0:1) to Team USA in Herning.
A German selection that had improved in every respect, supported by an outstanding goalkeeper Niklas Treutle, presented itself for a long time as an equal against the NHL star ensemble around exceptional player Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks, but ultimately had to pay tribute to their wear and tear.
Sturm had decided to put his trust in Treutle between the posts this time. This meant that the Nuremberg keeper started his first World Cup match from the beginning. The 39-year-old coach also "blew up" the first formation around Leon Draisaitl, in which Dominik Kahun took the place of Matthias Plachta. Sturm also made a few other changes.
The outsider did not hide in what was, from a German perspective, the best first third of the current tournament. On the contrary: Germany presented themselves as happy to run, confident and strong in duels. Markus Eisenschmid and Dominik Kahun had the best opportunities. On the other hand, Treutle made a spectacular save against the favorite's best chances.
By the second period at the latest, everyone in the arena knew who Niklas Treutle was. The German goalkeeper was in the spotlight several times, saving the 0:0 against the overwhelming favorite from impossible angles. Germany "slogged" through the third period while outnumbered. Superstar Patrick Kane scored the 1:0 for the Americans on the power play in the second when the German team was back down to four. Derek Ryan - again while the German team was outnumbered - made it 2:0.
The national team fought back as hard as they could in the final period, bringing many pucks to the goal and keeping the American defense busy time and time again. However, with the 0:3 goal by Alex DeBrincat, the match was decided in favor of the Americans.
The German cracks can at least take a breather for a day on Tuesday. The next comparison is not scheduled until Wednesday. Then the opponent is South Korea. This game also starts at 16.15:1 p.m. (live on SPORTXNUMX).
National coach Marco Sturm: “The commitment and passion were right today. We improved our playfulness and were capable of doing a lot more. You also need luck against a top nation like the USA. It would have been important to score the first goal. The US boys then exploited the power play mercilessly. In some cases we drew unnecessary and too many penalties. Niklas Treutle truly deserves the title of “MVP” – he played a great game.”
Gates: 0:1 Patrick Kane (30:02), 0:2 Derek Ryan (32:07), 0:3 Alex DeBrincat (50:38)
Germany: Treutle (Pielmeier) – Holzer, D. Seidenberg; Eisenschmid, Kahun, Hager – Y. Seidenberg, M. Müller; Noebels, Tiffels, Michaelis – Krupp, J. Müller; Ehliz, Draisaitl, Plachta – Ebner; Krämmer, Pietta, Uvira; Again
You can find detailed statistics about the game HERE.