Second match against Slovakia as part of World Cup preparations: In front of 4.333 spectators at Augsburg's Curt-Frenzel-Stadium, the men's national team secured their second consecutive victory with a 3-1 win (0-0, 2-1, 1-0). The goalscorers for the German team were Alexander Karachun, Fabrizio Pilu with his first international goal, and Tim Brunnhuber.
Today's match concludes Phase 2 of the World Cup preparations. DEBThe national team will reconvene in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Two international matches against Austria will follow the next week.
The first exciting moment after a fast-paced start came in the 4th minute when Daniel Fischbuch broke away on a breakaway. Germany then had their first power play opportunity. With the extra man on the ice, the puck moved well, and Samuel Dove-McFalls missed a chance to take the lead (6th minute). But Slovakia didn't sit back and had a double chance two minutes later, with Leon Hungerecker making a strong save against Adam Ziak, among others (8th minute). After that, Germany struggled to find their rhythm, and the Slovaks continued to threaten. Nevertheless, Germany created a few more scoring opportunities. DEB-Selection. Two of them were Elis Hede and Tim Fleischer, who were unable to beat the Slovakian goalkeeper Adam Gajan shortly before the first intermission (20th minute).
Germany needed a few minutes in the second period, but then struck after a beautiful play. Julian Chrobot spotted Alexander Karachun in the middle, and the forward fired home unchallenged in the 23rd minute. Hede almost added another shortly after (25th minute), but the DEBThe German team subsequently came under pressure, and Hungerecker rose to the occasion. The German goalkeeper made several excellent saves. Paraand remained solid even during their own power play against Samuel Knazko (32nd minute). Towards the end of the period, the game picked up pace again. Philipp Preto hit the crossbar (37th minute) before Fabrizio Pilu, who had joined the attack, scored his first international goal in the 38th minute. Slovakia, however, pulled one back 20 seconds before the second intermission – David Romanak reduced the deficit with a one-timer (40th minute).
In the final period, the German team initially dominated possession but struggled to generate offense. In the 48th minute, coach Harold Kreis's team had a golden opportunity on the power play. However, Leon Hüttl and Daniel Fischbuch squandered good chances. Hungerecker then stepped up again, making a crucial save against Rayen Petrovicky to prevent the equalizer (51st minute). With just over six minutes remaining, Karachun received a major penalty for a check. Slovakia failed to capitalize on the power play, partly because Martin Fasko-Rudas also received a penalty. Slovakia threw everything forward in the closing stages, but Germany held on for the victory, thanks in part to a brilliant goaltending performance. With three seconds left on the clock, Tim Brunnhuber sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
As the best player of the DEBLeon Hungerecker was honored in the selection.
Statistics #GERSVK
Official statistics for the game
Reactions to the game #GERSVK
National coach Harold Kreis"Leon Hungerecker played well today and kept us in the game for over 60 minutes; he was a reliable presence in goal. It was a challenging game, and the Slovaks fought hard. In the second period, we were too slow with the puck, which gave Slovakia momentum. But the guys found a way to win the game. From day one, the team has stuck together very well and had a great fighting spirit among themselves. It's with a heavy heart that we'll now have to say goodbye to a few players. As always, it's about who we believe can best fill the roles. That's always a process until the World Championship roster is finalized."
Striker Danjo Leonhardt: "We weren't happy with the second period; Slovakia was a bit stronger then. But overall, we have a very fast and compact team. We've shown over two games now that the team chemistry is good and the lines work well together. I'd be very happy to continue playing with my line like this. We know each other from the club; I've already played the last 20 games with Stefan. We also understand each other very well on the ice, even outside of the system. When you're in this week's lineup, you naturally want to go all the way. But that's the national coach's decision."