The prospect of the duel with the defending champions is attractive, the energy stores are filled again even after the bubble trip to the Baltic Sea. The selection of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund started the training on Friday with correspondingly high motivation. “Everyone was excited to get on the ice today and now we’re looking forward to Finland,” said Leonhard Pföderl, looking ahead to game five of the World Cup DEB-Selection on Saturday against Finland (from 19 p.m. / SPORT1).
Dominik Kahun also provided another positive impulse, as he was allowed to go straight from hotel isolation to his first ice training session. However, due to IIHF regulations, the Edmonton Oilers NHL pro cannot play until Monday at the earliest. "It was a lot of fun," said the 25-year-old, "now I have two more days to train, I'll cheer on the guys tomorrow and hopefully I'll be able to play against the USA."
Sports director Christian Künast has already laid out the plan. "We are going in with the intention and will to win the game. That is how we prepare. Our coaches will have the team in top form," he stressed. Captain Moritz Müller had previously noted: "We need to concentrate on ourselves and on playing to our strengths." Setbacks like the 2:3 defeat against Kazakhstan are part of a tournament like this, Pföderl added: "Now we're moving on. The Finns are the reigning world champions, but we're in good form, we're going full throttle and we're expecting something."
That ended with the defeat DEBThe team didn't spend too much time on it, but quickly looked ahead. On the one hand, the two-hour trip to a remote corner of nature was good for the soul and provided a distraction, but on the other hand, it provided an opportunity to tackle the remaining three group games in the fight for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals with fresh motivation. From now on, the jump into the knockout round is very close with every further victory. “It is important that we focus on what concerns German ice hockey. That’s what we’re putting our efforts into,” said national coach Toni Söderholm before the clash with his home country.
The 43-year-old, who has two other compatriots in assistant coach Ville Peltonen and goalkeeper coach Ilpo Kauhanen DEB-The coaching staff at his side wants to see a somewhat more balanced performance than last time and in this way build on the three victories at the beginning of the World Cup tournament. “We have to improve in crucial situations and play with more strength in the duels,” he explained. Defender Marcel Brandt emphasized that DEB-Team can't offer the opponent much and has to show “our game” for 60 minutes, then three points are possible. Müller explained: “The Finns are very strong runners, technically well trained, a top nation at this World Cup.” But the German team wants to reach its own potential “and beat the Finns.”