The German men's ice hockey team lost their second preliminary round game at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina. Germany was defeated by Latvia 3-4 (2-1, 0-1, 1-2). Lukas Reichel, Lukas Kälble, and Tim Stützle scored the goals for coach Harold Kreis's team in front of 4.033 spectators at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The German men's team will face the USA on Sunday at 21:10 p.m. to conclude the preliminary round.

As against Denmark, Germany took an early lead: Lukas Reichel finished off a breakaway from Dominik Kahun to give Germany the lead (3rd minute). The German team pressed forward, and Leon Draisaitl tried his luck from a sharp angle (5th minute). In the sixth minute, Latvia created their first dangerous attack on the German goal through Anri Ravinskis. Germany then focused on a controlled build-up play, while the Latvians sat back. After a few minutes, the game picked up pace again. Kahun hit the mask of Latvian goaltender Arturs Silovs from a sharp angle, while at the other end, Philipp Grubauer had to make a save against Eduards Tralmaks (13th minute). In the 16th minute, Jonas Müller received Germany's first penalty of the entire tournament, and Latvia capitalized. While Grubauer managed to save Rudolfs Balcers, he was powerless against Dans Locmelis after a cross-ice pass (16th minute). But Germany responded quickly. Frederik Tiffels intercepted a pass, and his assist was converted by Lukas Kälble in the 17th minute to restore the lead. Shortly before the final whistle, Moritz Seider missed a chance to extend the lead after a solo run and was stopped by Silovs (20').

The second period began with penalties on both sides. Both teams, however, allowed nothing while shorthanded. In the 26th minute, Grubauer was back in action, clearing a dangerous situation in his crease. Two minutes later, the German team, coached by Harold Kreis, faced a lengthy two-man disadvantage. This gave Locmelis plenty of space, and he scored his second goal with a spectacular shot into the top corner, tying the game once again (29th minute). Germany then regained the initiative and created some good scoring chances. Draisaitl was twice denied by Silovs (30th minute), then the Edmonton Oilers forward fired just wide of the far post on the power play, and Tim Stützle hit the post with no time to spare (33rd minute). Germany pressed for the 3-2 lead but conceded a counterattack, which Grubauer thwarted against Rihards Bukarts (36th minute). Towards the end of the period, Draisaitl had plenty of space after a clever pass from Seider, but his shot went over the net (37th minute). The German team wanted to score their third goal before the second break, but it didn't happen.

In the final period, the German men's team pressed the pace from the outset. Tobias Rieder and Draisaitl drove aggressively towards the net (43rd/46th minute), but even a rebound by Stützle wouldn't cross the line (47th minute). Then, Joshua Samanski narrowly missed the puck in the slot during a power play. Latvia countered shorthanded through Uvis Balinskis (47th/48th minute). The game entered its decisive phase, and the German team's missed opportunities would prove costly. Eduards Tralmaks gave Latvia their first lead after a breakaway in the 49th minute, and Renars Krastenbergs added another two minutes later. With three minutes remaining, Grubauer pulled the German defense in favor of an extra attacker, signaling the start of a final German offensive push. And indeed, Stützle's third goal of the tournament in the 58th minute, a rebound, brought the game back into contention and narrowed the gap. Reichel even had the chance to tie the game at 3-3 shortly afterward, but his shot hit the outside of the post (58th minute). Despite sustained pressure from the German team, the Latvians, who were more efficient today, allowed nothing further.

Voices on the game #GERLAT

National coach Harold Kreis"We created a lot of chances, but we have to acknowledge that the Latvians defended with great dedication and consistency today, and in the end, they were just a touch more efficient than us. We could have moved the puck a bit faster in the neutral zone at times. On the other hand, there are days when the puck just won't go in. It's certainly frustrating, but we'll put it behind us quickly."

Captain Leon Draisaitl: "We weren't consistent enough in the neutral zone today and didn't finish our plays cleanly. As a result, we failed to consistently get the puck behind their defenders. The Latvians did a good job, defending very compactly and giving us little space. We still had enough chances to score one or two more goals – but unfortunately, that was all we could manage today. We'll analyze the game and try to improve on the things that didn't work well today."

Striker Nico Sturm: "Today's game was similar to our last encounter. We were dominant, especially in the opening ten minutes. We clearly outplayed them, moved the puck deep, and won it back. But just like in that game, we lost our rhythm a bit towards the end of the first period and also in the second. That shifted the momentum, as Latvia capitalized on their power play. For the next game, we need to maintain the level of play we showed in the first ten minutes for the full 60 minutes."