The German Women's national team won her opening match at the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship. At the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, the team of Women's national coach Jeff MacLeod the Danes 5:1 (1:0, 1:0, 3:1). The goals for them DEBLilli Welcke, Laura Kluge, Ronja Hark, Jule Schiefer and Emily Nix were selected.
As in the World Cup preparation game against Switzerland, Sandra Abstreiter started in goal. Daria Gleißner, Ronja Hark, Nicola Eisenschmid, Emily Nix and Laura Kluge completed the starting six. Special moment before the game: Former national player Sonja Weidenfelder announced the starting six in the dressing room.
The German team started the game well - had the opportunity to take the lead several times in the first ten minutes thanks to Laura Kluge and Daria Gleißner, among others. The Danes then had their first compelling opportunities in a game with fewer players. Fourteen seconds before the third buzzer, Lilli Welcke put the puck in the goal after a blocked shot by her sister Luisa Welcke and brought it home DEB-Selection takes the lead when one is outnumbered. In the second third, the German team increased the pressure on the Danes' goal and only allowed one chance to the other side. Laura Kluge took advantage of the fourth power play of the third with a well-placed shot into the right corner to extend the German lead - the goal came again in the last minute of the third.
Ronja Hark increased the score to 45-3 in the 0th minute with a hidden shot after a pass from Emily Nix. In total, the German team increased their statistics to 44 shots - two more of which ended up in the Danes' goal: Jule Schiefer increased the score to 4-0 (53'), Emily Nix scored two minutes before the end with a shot into the Danes' empty goal 5:1 final score. In the meantime, Nicoline Jensen scored the only goal for Denmark (57th).
On Saturday, April 6, 2024, the DEB-Selection to Japan in their second game at the Ice Hockey World Championships in Utica (USA) at 15 p.m. local time (21 p.m. German time). All German World Cup games will be broadcast live and free of charge on MagentaSport.
Women's national coach Jeff MacLeod: “We played a good game for 60 minutes and are of course very happy with it. The players implemented the coaching team’s instructions well. The special teams were also able to deliver their performance, even though we had little time to prepare. We have also seen positive developments since the World Cup preparation game against Switzerland. So we're really happy about the win today. From tomorrow we will concentrate on Japan. It will be a completely different game, but if our team plays like we did today, we have a good chance of winning.”
Striker Emily Nix: “That was a good start to the tournament. There is still room for improvement in terms of converting chances, but in the end we scored five goals, so I don't think we can complain about that. Our next game against Japan will definitely be tough. The Japanese are always very disciplined. We'll have to step it up a notch again. But we will adapt to it and go into the game in a positive mood.”
World Cup schedule for the German women’s national team:
04.04.2024/15/00 | 21:00 p.m. (German time XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.) | Denmark - Germany 1:5 (0:1, 0:1, 1:3)
06.04.2024/15/00 | 21:00 p.m. (German time XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.) | Japan – Germany
April 08.04.2024, 11 | 00:17 (German time 00:XNUMX p.m.) | Germany - Sweden
April 09.04.2024, 11 | 00:17 (German time 00:XNUMX p.m.) | Germany – China