The German men's ice hockey team won their qualifying match against France at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, securing their place in the quarterfinals. Head coach Harold Kreis's team won convincingly 5-1 (3-0, 0-1, 2-0). In front of 9.788 spectators at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Leon Draisaitl, Frederik Tiffels, John-Jason Peterka, Joshua Samanski, and Nico Sturm scored the goals for Germany. The German men's team will face Slovakia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 12:10 PM.

Compared to the final group match against the USA, there were two changes to the lineup. Philipp Grubauer replaced Maximilian Franzreb in goal from the start. Additionally, Fabio Wagner made his 100th international appearance.

And the defenseman drew the first penalty early on, which Germany capitalized on to take the lead. Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play in the 4th minute with a one-timer to make it 1-0. The German team started strong and compact. In the 11th minute, Germany added another. The puck was won in the forecheck and Frederik Tiffels increased the lead with a shot into the near corner. The German team remained superior in terms of skating and clearly outplayed Germany. Tim Stützle missed a double chance to make it 3-0 on the power play (15th/16th minute), but John-Jason Peterka finally made it 3-0. The Utah Mammoth NHL forward scored after a nice pass from Stützle, finding himself alone in front of France's goaltender Julian Junca, to make it a deserved 3-0 (19th minute).

The second period was expected to be more balanced overall. Lukas Reichel had the first clear scoring opportunity from close range (21st minute), but then France gained momentum. Grubauer made a save against Sacha Treille at the far post, but the German goalie was powerless against a shot from Pierre-Édouard Bellemare that was deflected by Moritz Seider (25th minute). After a few minutes, however, coach Harold Kreis's team regained control of the game. Peterka and Tobias Rieder both had chances to score the fourth goal. Antoine Keller, who had taken over in goal for France in the second period, made some excellent saves against both forwards (31st minute). Germany applied pressure, and Marc Michaelis hit the post with a rebound (32nd minute). Then the French threatened again. Bellemare shot just wide, and Grubauer made a save against Justin Addamo (35th minute). Shortly before the second intermission, Peterka was given another open shot, but Keller again made a brilliant save (39th minute).

The final period began with a great scoring chance for Kevin Bozon (42nd minute), after which Germany regained the dominance they had shown in the first 20 minutes. In the 44th minute, Peterka and Draisaitl missed a chance to seal the victory after a 2-on-1 break. But in the 48th minute, Joshua Samanski capitalized on a rebound during a power play to score the crucial fourth goal. Reichel then hit the outside of the post with a shot (49th minute). The game entered its final stages, and Germany had to play shorthanded twice. However, with hard work and numerous blocked shots, the German team prevented France from creating any clear scoring opportunities. France's best chance came in the 57th minute when Texier skated in on Grubauer, but the German goaltender made a sensational save. In the final minute, Nico Sturm sealed the win with an empty-net goal (60th minute).

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Official website of the 2026 Winter Olympics: Website MilanoCortina2026

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National coach Harold Kreis"The French have a lot of experience and big, robust players. We assumed we could put them under pressure by playing the puck deep and forcing them to play defensively. We did that well in the first period. We also drew two penalties through quick movements. Overall, the team implemented the plan very well and put a lot of pressure on the net. That was the game plan. We also moved the puck quickly and directly forward. This allowed us to play a good forecheck. Now we're preparing for the game against Slovakia, who are a big and fast team."

Captain Leon Draisaitl: "That was a strong game overall from us. I think we started very well in the first period. In the second period, we eased off the gas a bit and let the French back into the game too much. We could have done a few things better in the final period, but all in all, it was a deserved victory. The tournament is getting smaller and tougher now, we're aware of that. The Slovaks finished first in their group and have a great team. We need to prepare well, and then we'll continue tomorrow."

Goalscorer Joshua Samanski: "I believe that we showed today as a team that we play together and for each other. Now we're preparing for tomorrow. I'm used to back-to-back matches, and that's nothing unusual in an international tournament like this. It will be very important for us to get off to a good start again tomorrow. That's why it's about getting a good rest now, so we're ready for tomorrow."

Olympics 2026: Men reach quarterfinals after victory over France

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Reactions to the game #GERFRA