The U18 national team won its first game at the 5-nation tournament in Zuchwil (Switzerland). The team of U18 national coach Steffen Ziesche defeated the Czech Republic 4:1 (1:0, 1:1, 2:0).
The DEB-Selection created a significant increase in chances of 16:8 shots in the opening third, which ultimately led to the lead in the third. Jakub Borzecki provided by Shorthanders after preparatory work by Florian Elias for the opening goal of the game. The Czechs hit back in the middle section: Josef Slavicek equalized the German lead in the 25th minute. But the DEB-Selection had the direct answer ready in just 68 seconds. Maximilian Glötzl, who returned from the U20 national team to the U18 team, scored to make it 2-1. In the final section they ensured Maximilian Szuber and Florian Elias in the 42nd and 48th minutes for the final decision. The German U18 national team is celebrating its opening victory in the 5-nation tournament and will meet the hosts from Switzerland tomorrow, Friday (15.00 p.m.).
Steffen Ziesche, U18 national coach: “Today’s victory is okay – even at a high level. The boys played solidly and compactly and took their chances. The special teams also worked well. It was a compact team performance from the goalie to our attackers and a successful start to the tournament. We would like to take this opportunity to wish the U20 national team good luck for the start of the World Cup tomorrow!”
You can find all the statistics for the U18 and U16 national team tournaments HERE.