Chomutov (DPA) – The German national ice hockey team avenged the previous day’s loss and won the second World Cup Test match against the Czech Republic.
National coach Tony Soderholm’s team, still very weak, defeated the hosts 2–0 (1–0, 0–0, 1–0) in Chomutov. Nuremberg’s Daniel Schmolz scored in the 6th minute and Nuremberg’s Mirko Hofflin scored in the 59th minute. The Germans lost the first game on Thursday 2:6.
Söderholm certified his team “a good performance” in game two, summarizing: “We were much better in the deciding doubles and clarified more situations where there was little fire.” Watching both games, the Finn said: “It wasn’t bad.” It’s always a little difficult at first, but: “Yesterday’s game gave us the right images, so we beat a stronger opponent today.”
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Former NHL professional Dominic Kahun (SC Byrne), who was not replaced by Söderholm on Thursday, joined the team as captain. Iserlohn Roosters’ Andreas Jenike got a chance in goal instead of Nuremberg’s Niklas Treutle – and was convinced.
The German team made considerable improvements in the first third and quickly took the lead thanks to a good shot from Schmolz. In the middle of the game, Söderholm’s disciples were unlucky when Hofflin hit the crossbar. However, in both the second and last third, he also had to survive a period of check pressure. Hofflin scored an empty goal in the last minute.
Soderholm will make significant changes to his squad ahead of the start of the World Cup in Helsinki, Finland on May 13. Players from the German Ice Hockey League who are still playing for the championship were not available to them at this first stage of preparation, nor were professionals from the Swedish and North American professional leagues. The team will continue preparations for the World Cup in Rosenheim next week with friendly against Switzerland on 21 and 23 April.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220415-99-931759/3
