The Men's national team has in the World Cup preparation its fourth victory in a row Germany secured a victory and won against Austria for the second time in three days. The team, coached by Harold Kreis, won the match 5-2 (2-0, 1-0, 2-2) in front of 5.148 spectators in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Goal scorers for the DEBThe selected players were Maximilian Kastner (8th), Alexander Blank (13th), Dominik Kahun (40th), Daniel Fischbuch (56th) and Tim Brunnhuber (60th). DEBLeon Hungerecker scored today's goal.
After their victory against Austria last Thursday, the German team was eager to build on that success in front of their home crowd. Just 68 seconds in, Julius Karrer deflected a shot from Marcus Weber, but his effort only hit the post. In the eighth minute, Garmisch-Partenkirchen native Kastner, in his 70th international appearance, sparked the first cheers from the home fans when he converted a rebound to give Germany a 1-0 lead. During the first power play, Austria's goaltender Florian Vorauer prevented Germany from scoring a second goal after a well-placed one-timer from Fischbuch. In the 13th minute, Blank converted his own rebound after a counterattack to make it 2-0.
After the first break, the visitors got off to a better start and had their best chance so far through Benjamin Nissner. As the game progressed, they continued to press forward. DEBThe team returned to the performance of the first third. Team Austria tested DEBGoalie Hungerecker made another save in the 29th minute when Ian Scherzer got a clear shot on goal from close range. The game opened up, and both teams created further scoring opportunities. Penalties on both sides just before the intermission didn't result in any goals. Eight seconds before the break, Kahun then increased the lead to 3-0 from the face-off (40th minute).
After the teams switched sides again – Austria changed goaltenders during the intermission – the visitors scored their first goal: Following a won battle in their own defensive zone, Maximilian Rebernig launched a counterattack. His shot rebounded to Lucas Thaler, who simply had to tap it in for a 3-1 lead (44th minute). A penalty against the German team allowed Mario Huber to score, making it 3-2 (48th minute). With just under nine minutes remaining, Philipp Preto was forced to leave the game due to injury after a foul. During the ensuing five-minute power play, the hosts capitalized on another penalty against Austria, with Fischbuch scoring to make it 4-2 (56th minute). Twenty seconds before the final buzzer, Brunnhuber fired the puck into the empty net for the final score of 5-2 (60th minute).
Best DEBThe player in today's match was Maximilian Kastner. Today's game against Austria concludes the third week of preparation for the men's national team. Next Wednesday, May 6, 2026, they will play against... DEB-Selection in Mannheim for the final phase of World Cup preparation.
Statistics for the game #GERAUT
Voices on the game #GERAUT
National coach Harold Kreis: "The team played with great discipline today. Our plan was clear: play the puck deep, aggressive forechecking, and consistent work back. Austria did manage to close the gap somewhat on the power play, but overall the team executed the task very well. What distinguishes this team is the attitude we have consistently demonstrated throughout several preparation phases."
Striker Daniel Fischbuch"We got off to a really good start today. We eased off a bit in the final period, but quickly got back on track. We have to stay true to ourselves and continue to solidify our system – even with a three-goal lead, we can't let up."
Defender Marcus Weber"It was a lot of fun to perform in my hometown in front of so many people." Fans to play. The first 40 minutes were very strong, then we let the Austrians back into the game. But in the end, we deserved to win. We came out of the neutral zone well and got a lot of shots on goal – that was the key today.”