First appearance for the DEB-Selection at this year's IIHF U20 World ChampionshipThe tournament kicked off for national coach Tobias Abstreiter's team in front of a large crowd (14.276 spectators) against the World Cup hosts and reigning U20 World Champions, the USA. After a generally courageous performance, the final score was 3-6. Goal scorers for the DEBThe selection included Timo Kose (18th), Simon Seidl (26th) and Lenny Boos (32nd).
Lennart Neiße made his World Championship debut in goal for the German team today. From the start, it was an open game between the two teams, with the German team having the first good scoring chance through Max Bleicher. On the other side, the Americans also showed their quality and initially pulled ahead in the first period with three goals from Max Plante (6th minute), Chase Reid (11th minute), and Will Horcoff (16th minute). But the DEBThe selection was not discouraged and came back into the game before halftime thanks to Timo Kose's goal.
Good pressure phase in the second section
In the second half, it was the German team that initially took the lead, putting pressure on the USA defense. Simon Seidl capitalized on this pressure (26th minute) with a jubilant goal to bring Germany within one. Although the USA quickly restored their two-goal lead through Will Zellers (31st minute), Lenny Boos (32nd minute) responded immediately. The Americans then upped the tempo once more, extending their lead again with two further goals from Will Zellers (35th minute) and Cole Eiserman (39th minute).
In the final period, both teams slowed the pace of the game somewhat, which was also reflected in the fewer scoring opportunities on both sides. Even though the DEBAlthough the German team created several more dangerous chances in front of the World Cup hosts' goal, the final score remained 3-6 in favor of the hosts. A promising start that gives reason for optimism for the rest of the tournament. Dustin Willhöft was named Germany's best player.
After a short night in Saint Paul, the journey continues tomorrow. DEBThe team continues. The next match of our national team is at 13:00 PM local time (20:00 PM German time) in the Grand Casino Arena. The opponent is Slovakia. The game will be streamed live and free of charge at MagentaSport transfer.
#GERUSA: Voices and Statistics
U20 national coach Tobias Abstreiter"We had high hopes for today's World Championship opener. We implemented many things well throughout the game. Our goalkeeping, especially Lennart Neiße, was excellent and gave us the chance to keep the game against the USA close in the second period. Unfortunately, we then made a few decisions that didn't lead to the equalizer but instead cost us two more goals. Nevertheless, we can take many positives with us for the upcoming World Championship games, and especially for the next match against Slovakia."
Captain Tobias Schwarz“Overall, we can be proud of our performance and build on it. We knew the Americans wanted to start at a high tempo, which they did immediately. We fought back hard and found a way to score goals. Nevertheless, we also made a few mistakes. With these insights, we can now move directly into the next game against Slovakia.”
Official statistics for the game: IIHF Statistics #GERUSA
All games of the IIHF U20 World Championship are available live and free of charge at MagentaSport.