The German U18 national junior team won the opening game of the World Cup in Middleton, Wisconsin (USA) 1-0 last night. The winning goal was scored by striker Lola Liang (Mad Dogs Mannheim/Löwen Frankfurt) shortly before the end of the regular season assisted by Leonie Willeitner (ESC Planegg-Würmtal) and Katharina Häckelsmiller (ECDC Memmingen). Goalkeeper Felicity Luby was named the German team's best player, saving all 27 of the Swiss' shots on goal.
The next game for U18 national coach Franziska Busch's protégés is this Tuesday (23 p.m. CEST) against the Czech Republic. The games will be on www.hockeytv.com streamed live.
U18 national coach Franziska Busch: “We are very happy with our start to the tournament. It was a tough 60 minutes. But the team stuck to the game plan, worked and always believed in victory. Now we have to regenerate quickly and prepare for the next game because the Czechs are a strong opponent. We have to be 100% mentally and physically ready for hard work again.”
Captain Annabella Sterzik about the victory: "I think what ultimately led us to victory today was our unity, perseverance and patience. It was an exhausting 60 minutes, but we were ready from the first second."
Goal scorer Lola Liang over their gate: “There was a lot of traffic in front of the goal. We always train to work extra hard in this zone. Then the puck was in the air, I saw it, shot it and just hoped it would go in. We were all very emotional in this important game.”
Goalkeeper Felicity Luby about working with her defenders: “We talk a lot on the ice. That helps us. If I don’t see something, the players in front of me will see it and we can work on it together.”