The national team is back in Tampere! This Friday morning, the World Cup semi-final participants from Germany and Latvia flew together from Riga to Finland. From the airport we went straight to the team hotel to take a quick rest and get back into the rooms for the final weekend of the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
It was in the late afternoon DEB-Selection finally back on the ice at the Nokia Arena to prepare for the game on Saturday against the USA (game starts at 17:20 p.m. German time) with a training session lasting around an hour. Of course, national coach Harold Kreis' team returned to the dressing room that had previously been their "home" in Tampere for almost two weeks. The mood in the German camp was correspondingly good:
Defender Fabio Wagner: “It's a nice snapshot and a good feeling to be back here in Tampere. We are all really looking forward to the semi-finals tomorrow and have prepared well to take the next step in the tournament. It will definitely be a special game against a top opponent.”
Striker Parker Tuomie: “You can tell how comfortable we feel here in Tampere. We know the cabin, the hotel, everything. Our work here isn't over yet, it's going to be a hard-fought game tomorrow. I think both teams respect each other, it will be a fast game with tempo. We just have to keep playing like we are doing now and look after the stars in the team. We just proved in the last game that we can hold our own against top players and play effectively when it comes to our own chances.”
Striker JJ Peterka: “It was a big goal of the team to come back here and return to our dressing room in Tampere. Tomorrow we have to fight for each other again like we did against Switzerland. Everyone will give 100 percent again and block shots again, so just play with heart and soul.”
National coach Harold Kreis: “Today I congratulated the team again for the game yesterday, with the focus on yesterday. We know that we have another Game 7 ahead of us tomorrow and have to put in a top performance. The Americans are prepared for us, they have respect for us. The American coach confirmed to me again today that the game against us in the preliminary round was their toughest game. That’s exactly why we need a performance as compact, combative and disciplined as we did against Switzerland.”
Tomorrow is semi-final day in Tampere: First, Canada will face Latvia (13:20 p.m. German time), before the German team plays against the USA. The World Cup semi-final will be broadcast live by MagentaSport and Sport1. The final (19:20 p.m.) and the match for third place (14:20 p.m.) are on the agenda on Sunday.