In their second World Cup preparation match, the Men's national team The Czech Republic played again today, Friday. The hosts prevailed 4-1 against the Czechs in front of 5.280 spectators in Karlovy Vary. DEBThe selection was made. Daniel Fischbuch scored the goal for the German team.
Andreas Jenike was given the starting role in goal today, and Johannes Krauß and Thomas Heigl also made their international debuts.
Even if the DEBAlthough the German team found their rhythm much better than the previous day, the Czechs initially took the lead. Radovan Pavlík scored the opening goal in the second minute. The German team then had their first good chances, with a shot from defender Philipp Preto hitting the post. During this strong offensive phase, the hosts capitalized on a sustained attack, scoring their second goal of the evening through Daniel Voženílek (10th minute).
In the second period, the hosts had a slight advantage in possession, but the German team still had several opportunities to score the first goal. The Czechs were particularly clinical on the power play, capitalizing on their numerical advantage through Jakub Flek (27th minute). Shortly before the intermission, Samuel Dove-McFalls had a chance to pull one back, but the Czech goalie made a brilliant save.
In the final period, it was again the Czechs who scored the first decisive goal through Matyáš Kantner (41st minute). Germany also managed to get on the scoreboard shortly before the end: Daniel Fischbuch scored for the Czechs just before the final buzzer. DEB-Selection.
That same evening, the team will travel back to Germany together. The men's national team will reconvene in Augsburg on Monday, April 20, 2026, for Phase 2 of their World Championship preparations.
Next week, the international matches against Slovakia are on the agenda. Prior to these games, the women's national team will play against Switzerland, so that everyone can get some practice. Fans can look forward to two days of ice hockey fun.
As the best player of the DEBSamuel Dove-McFalls was honored as part of the selection.
Statistics #CZEGER
Official statistics: Hokej CZ CZEGER
Reactions to the game #CZEGER
National coach Harold Kreis"Overall, it was a very instructive 120 minutes for us against the Czechs. Unfortunately, we fell behind 0-2 very early today. I also had the impression that we sometimes tried to do too much with the puck instead of looking for the simple solution. On the other hand, the team's effort was there at all times, and we saw the will of every player. So, we're taking away the fact that this week was a learning process for many players, showing them how little time there is at the international level and how crucial every decision on the ice is."
Defender Marcus Weber: "We certainly had higher expectations today. We were very strong, especially in the last two-thirds of yesterday's game, and wanted to build on that. At this level, the little things are crucial, and the Czechs capitalized on our mistakes very well. We then found ourselves chasing the deficit and struggled with it. At least we now know which areas we need to improve in. Nevertheless, there are also a number of positive takeaways from the two games that we will carry into the next phase of our preparations."
Defender Leon Hüttl"It was another fast-paced and physical hockey game today. We could have scored from many of our chances, so the final score reflects that. We're taking a lot away from these two games, especially regarding our play in our own zone. We'll analyze that for Phase 2 and then work on improving our overall game. That's exactly the kind of process that's important in this kind of preseason."