Tomorrow, Thursday, November 11, 2021, the time has finally come: the German men's national ice hockey team around national coach Toni Söderholm will score in their first game at Deutschland Cup 2021 in the Krefeld YAYLA Arena on the team from Russia (19:45 p.m., live on MagentaSport).
The Germans are expecting a very young Russian team that is strong in terms of running. The national coach had to make six changes to his squad at short notice and will nominate the captain for the unavailable Moritz Müller before the game tomorrow. After three intensive ice training sessions, the German players are ready for the start.
National coach Toni Söderholm: “In addition to training on the ice, we used the time over the past two days and discussed a lot of tactical things. We had more topics than I thought. But I'm sure the boys have internalized the themes. And I am confident that the team will implement the style of play discussed tomorrow against Russia. The mood in the team is very, very good – everyone is looking forward to getting things started tomorrow.”
Striker Tobias Rieder: “It's always great fun to be with the national team. In recent years I haven't had a chance to play in North America due to the tight schedules Deutschland Cup to take part. That's why I'm really looking forward to it this year. It's important that we put a good first game on the ice on Thursday. Everyone on the team is excited to get on the ice.”
Striker Taro Jentzsch: “I know the junior national team - but in Krefeld I'm playing for the men's team for the first time. It's an incredible feeling to get to know the 'old hands' of the team. I know many of them from the DEL. But being on the ice with players like Tobi Rieder is phenomenal. The Deutschland Cup is a huge experience for me and the other young players in the team. We can prove ourselves here and I want to show what I can do.”
Striker Patrick Hager: "Of the Deutschland Cup is always a great event. It is always a highlight for us players to play at home in Germany. Krefeld is a traditional location - and I'm glad that we can finally play in front of spectators again this year. Especially in the Olympic year, it is important for us as a team to take advantage of every opportunity to come together as a team. We want to continue to improve our interaction on the ice and make the best possible use of the time. In every game Deutschland Cup let's go in with the goal of winning the game. The first game is always particularly important. We want to impose our game on the Russians and bring our tactical plans to the ice on Thursday. The Russians are young and will be strong runners. But at the end of the day, it's up to us. We want to win and to do that we have to give our best performance.”