The German U18 women's national team has at the The IIHF U18 Women's World Championship 2026 (Division I, Group A) has secured promotion to the top division. They won their fifth and final group game. DEBThe German U18 women's national team, coached by Sebastian Jones, defeated Norway 2-0 (0-0, 0-0, 2-0) and can no longer be overtaken in first place in the standings. Anabel Seyrer and Isabell Manns scored in the final period, and Tara Bach recorded a shutout.
The first period lacked clear-cut scoring opportunities, as both teams played a tight game in their own zones. Although Tara Bach had to make a save from Tyra Sawyer's long-range shot after just 18 seconds, the afternoon otherwise began quietly for the German goalie. In the 2nd minute, Charleen Poindl fired Germany's first shot at the near post, and on the ensuing power play, Mathilda Heine had a clear shot on goal (3rd minute). In the 10th minute, Norway attacked Bach's net on the power play, but she secured the puck in the crease. Much of the subsequent play took place in the neutral zone. DEBThe team gained a visual advantage. Shortly before the break, Alexandra Boico was unfortunately a step too late in the slot (20th minute).
In the second half, Norwegian Elvira Stavnes missed an early pass to the far post (22nd minute), and then Annika Stephaninski narrowly missed the goal (24th minute). After a few minutes, the game picked up considerably in pace and the DEBThe German U18 women's national team, coached by Sebastian Jones, became increasingly dominant. Just under half an hour in, Caylee Nagle broke through from the blue line, and Alexandra Boico then created several good scoring opportunities in quick succession. The German goal scorer missed a clear chance in the 34th minute when she was in front of Norway's goaltender Tuva Are-Ekstrom. Anabel Seyrer also missed a power-play opportunity shortly afterward, failing to connect cleanly with the puck in mid-air (35th minute). Just a minute later, Are-Ekstrom made another strong save against Boico.
In the final period, Germany first had to kill off a penalty kill, but handled the task with composure. Bach also made a crucial save against a long-range shot. FanGhand to (45th minute). From then on, the German women increased the pace once again. Seyrer and Poindl each had a rebound shot on their stick, but unfortunately missed (46th/49th minute). In the 53rd minute, the breakthrough finally came: Seyrer scored at the perfect moment on a pass from Caylee Nagle to give Germany the lead. Norway applied pressure again, but our U18 women, led by Bach, didn't allow anything further. Isabell Manns finally sealed the victory with an empty-net goal (59th minute).
As the best DEBAnabel Seyrer was awarded Player of the Match. DEBTara Bach was named player of the tournament.
#GERNOR: Voices and statistics
Christian Künast, Sports Director of the DEB: "Our primary focus is on the development of the players and providing them with the best possible preparation for the level of women's football. It's all the more gratifying when this development culminates in promotion. We thank the team, the coaching staff, and the entire team for their dedicated and professional commitment."
U18 women’s national coach Sebastian Jones: "After a somewhat bumpy start, the team managed to improve steadily throughout the tournament. From training session to training session and from game to game, we stabilized our structure and consistently implemented our process. The team played patiently, had a lot of puck possession, and created numerous chances, even if the finishing wasn't always there. Crucially, the players and everyone involved showed unwavering passion and commitment throughout the preparation period and the entire tournament. Promotion is the result of this shared and sustainable development."
Official statistics for the game: https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2026/ww18ia/gamecenter/playbyplay/70940/13-ger-vs-nor