The German women's U18 national team secured their second victory in their third group match at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship (Division I, Group A). They defeated host nation Italy. DEBThe German U18 women's national team, coached by Sebastian Jones, cruised to a 5-1 victory (2-0, 1-0, 2-1). Alexandra Boico and Charleen Poindl each scored twice for Germany in the Ritten Arena, with Annika Stephainski also finding the net.
The German team got off to a dream start; after just 16 seconds, Alexandra Boico took the lead with a solo effort. DEBThe women wanted to extend their lead, and Isabell Manns missed another counter-attack opportunity against Italian goalkeeper Caterina Bolech in the 5th minute. Shortly afterward, however, Germany increased their advantage: Charleen Poindl fired a shot, and the puck slipped from Bolech's grasp. Fanhand over the line (6th minute). Even after that, the DEBThe team largely had everything under control. However, in the 11th minute, Tara Bach had to intervene, the German goalkeeper making a save against Emily Innocenti. From then on, the hosts had their best spell of the game, with Vittoria Trombetta shooting wide (14th minute). Germany then regained control, with Annika Stephainski missing a chance to make it 3-0 from a turn (19th minute).
Italy started the second period with more pace and made the game more open. However, they couldn't close the gap even on the power play, as the team coached by U18 women's national coach Sebastian Jones also performed strongly shorthanded. At even strength, Germany continued to dominate. Anabel Seyrer and the advancing defenseman Caylee Nagle both shot just wide (28th/32nd minute). In their second power play, the Italians finally had a scoring chance through Maddalena Bedont, but Bach made the save (37th minute). In the 39th minute, the two German goal scorers were once again in the spotlight: A great solo effort by Poindl was finished off by Boico after a cross-ice pass, completing her brace.
The final period started perfectly for Germany, and Poindl scored her second goal of the evening in the 44th minute. The forward fired a shot from center ice, and the puck found the back of the net, with the Italian goalie looking somewhat unlucky. This goal essentially sealed the victory, and the German women ran down the clock, aiming to secure Bach's shutout. Unfortunately, this didn't happen, as Italy narrowed the gap in the 54th minute through Giorgia Todesco on the power play. DEBAttacker Stephainski also scored the final goal, making it 5-1, with a clean finish three minutes before the end, while the team was also a player up.
As the best DEB-Player Alexandra Boico was honored.
#ITAGER: Voice and statistics
U18 women’s national coach Sebastian Jones: "We got off to a good start today and took an early lead, which gave us a sense of calm. For long stretches, we controlled the game well, even though we allowed a few counter-attacking opportunities along the way. Overall, we had a lot of puck possession, made good decisions, and consistently created scoring chances. We're happy with today's win. Tomorrow we'll mainly use the day for recovery to prepare as best as possible for the next challenge."
Official statistics for the game: https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2026/ww18ia/gamecenter/statistics/70936/9-ita-vs-ger