U18 World Cup: Germany misses out on staying in the top division

Germany got off to a better start and had the first chance through Leon Lell in the 4th minute. Norway was put under early pressure and initially failed to create any clear-cut opportunities. It wasn't until the 8th minute that German goalkeeper Niclas Wolter was forced to make a save. Fanghand intervened properly for the first time. During the first power play, Tobias Krestan then scored for the DEBYoung Talent fired off a dangerous shot (11th minute), but the first goal came at the other end. Marcus Saether intercepted a German pass and fired in the opening goal for the Scandinavians (14th minute) – partly because the puck took a slight deflection. The German team needed a few minutes to recover. Then, just seconds before the buzzer, they were unlucky when Krestan's shot hit the post.  

Germany was caught cold after just 29 seconds in the second period when Nikas Aaram Olsen scored from close range (21st minute). Another shot from the Norwegian hit the crossbar in the 25th minute, after which the DEBThe young talent selection was back in form. This was rewarded in the 27th minute: Max Calce cleverly delayed the shot and was able to narrow the gap. The German team was now enjoying its best stretch so far. Tim Hartmann on the power play and Jannes Schreiber both had chances to equalize (30th/31st minute), and a shot from Jonas Schwarz hit the inside of the post (31st minute). Germany continued to press forward but also had to be wary of Norwegian counterattacks.  

Germany came out of the locker room with full force for the final period, and Calce completed his brace after a beautiful move to tie the game (43'). Shortly afterward, the German goalkeeper was again in the spotlight: Wolter prevented Benjamin Haglund from putting Germany back in the lead, and Calce came close to a hat trick on the ensuing counterattack (45'). The young DEBGermany was now on the offensive, but Norway kept attacking. Both Wolter and Maximilian Aas, who had been in goal for the Scandinavians since the score was 2-2, made some strong saves. In the 51st minute, Calce missed another power play opportunity, and Norway countered with two dangerous attacks. But the next action belonged to Germany again: Luis Becker gave them their first lead of the game. In the final stages, Germany took two consecutive penalties, and the game became dramatic – and bitter from a German perspective: Aaram Olsen scored the equalizer on a 5-on-3 power play, and with 23 seconds remaining, the young Norwegian scored the game-winner (59th/60th minute). 

Unfortunately, the team of U18 national coach Andreas Becherer did not reward themselves for a great comeback; two penalty minutes in the final minutes ultimately cost them the victory. 

As the best player of the DEBMax Calce was awarded the prize in the selection. 

Official statistics: https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2026/wm18/gamecenter/statistics/71365/21-ger-vs-nor

Voices on the game #NORGER

U18 national coach Andreas Becherer: “Looking at the entire tournament, we weren't good enough overall. We already had an opportunity to secure important points in the game against Denmark, which we missed due to our poor finishing. It was a similar story today. We could have won the game with a more consistent performance. In the end, we're left empty-handed. We now have to deal with that and analyze the tournament together.”

Christian Künast, Sports Director of the DEB“We have not succeeded in securing our place in the top division – we must clearly acknowledge that. The result shows once again that we still have a lot of work to do in the area of ​​young talent development. This is a task we are facing and actively tackling. With the structural and content-related changes we will be implementing, we want to look to the future. However, this will only succeed if all clubs, associations, and the entire support network for the players join us on this path.”