The German selection had no luck in the final / Latvians remain ahead of Germany in the table thanks to the 3-1 win / Dominik Kahun with a goal in his 50th international match / Tomorrow (20.15 p.m.) against Finland
The German national ice hockey team suffered another defeat at the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. On Saturday afternoon, national coach Marco Sturm's team lost 1:3 (0:0, 0:1, 1:2) in the fifth group game against Latvia. Despite another courageous performance in the Jyske Bank Boxing Arena, there were no points for the German selection. The next opponent, Finland, awaits tomorrow, Sunday (20.15:1 p.m., live on SPORTXNUMX).
A special atmosphere was already created before the opening face-off. German and Latvian Fans transformed the Jyske Bank Boxing Arena into an atmospheric ice oval. The protagonists picked up the momentum from the stands and presented themselves wide awake from the start: Marco Sturm's selection impressed in the first 20 minutes, above all physically and with aggressive offensive actions. The Latvians took up the fight, so that a lively opening third remained goalless despite good opportunities.
Leon Draisaitl's ten-minute penalty at the end of the first period initially condemned the Edmonton Oilers striker to watching. The 22-year-old NHL star saw his teammates continue to work bravely. As in the first third, the final stop was in front of the respective goals. Shortly before Ronalds Kenins took the Latvian lead, Marc Michaelis and Marcel Noebels missed their best chance to present their colors.
The national team was therefore under pressure in the final half. It got even bigger after the 0:2 just 15 seconds after the restart. Guntis Galvins scored the second goal for the Baltics in the first exchange. From then on, the German selection players tried to get closer again, but the 0:3 by Andris Zerins was the preliminary decision. Domink Kahun's 1:3 less than a minute later wasn't going to change anything.
Tomorrow, Sunday, the penultimate group game will be against Finland. The game starts at 20.15:20 p.m. (from 1 p.m., live on SPORTXNUMX).
National coach Marco Sturm: "The result hurts, of course. We knew it would be a close game. It was our best performance of the tournament today, but unfortunately we missed too many chances and the little things made the difference. You also have to praise the opponent: Latvia put in a very strong performance. We now have two tough games ahead of us, but we want to continue on our path. The goal is to play six good periods against the top nations.
Marcel Noebels, Eisbären Berlin: "I think that the way we exploited our chances was the decisive factor today. We came out like a fire engine. But ultimately we were lacking that little bit of luck. The 0-1 defeat was a setback for us, but I still think it was our best game of the tournament. Unfortunately, the puck didn't always bounce for us and we were chasing the deficit for too long."
Gates: 0:1 Ronalds Kenins (36:54), 0:2 Guntis Galvins (40:15), 0:3 Andris Zerins (47:54), 1:3 Dominik Kahun (48:40)
Germany: Treutle (Pielmeier) – Y. Seidenberg, M. Müller; Eisenschmid, Hager, Plachta – Holzer, D. Seidenberg; Noebels, Tiffels, Michaelis – Krupp, J. Müller; Draisaitl, Kahun, Ehliz – Mebus; Wiederer, Pietta, Krämmer; Höfflin.
You can find detailed statistics about the game HERE.