Selection by the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) beat Denmark 1–0 (0–0, 1–0, 0–0) with a goal from Mark Michaelis in the 33rd minute. With a third win in the fourth World Cup game, Germany pushed world number ten in Group A from third place.
The DEB team, which continues against Italy on Friday afternoon, previously won 3:2 against France and 2:1 against Slovakia, which had competed in the Olympics, and defeated defending champions and record world champions Canada. 3:5 was lost. With the inevitable victory against outside Italy, fourth place in the 2021 World Cup will only theoretically be able to make it to the knockout rounds again.
Blow before the start of the game: Fire in the hall
About 35 minutes before the scheduled start of play, the Helsinki “Helsingin Jahalli” field had to be evacuated due to a fire. German players initially waited in full gear and some in skates in front of the hall. After an hour the team was allowed back into the dressing room. The DEB team processed the shock relatively quickly.
“It didn’t bother us much mentally. But it’s also clear that when you sit for an hour you don’t have the same preparation as usual. But you have to be a professional and focus on the game. ” Captain Moritz Muller
First World Cup appearance for Karachun
As expected, Söderholm had to do without injured NHL youth Tim Stutzl, who suffered a strained knee. The AHL professional moved to the front line for Michaelis Stutzl. In addition, Schwenningen striker Alexander Karachun made his first World Cup appearance. Against France, regular goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer returned to goal after being replaced by Mathias Niederberger of Berlin.
Great chances to score in the opening round are rare
The German team started the game slightly better than the Dane in front of over 2,500 spectators, but had some excellent opening opportunities. Overall the meeting was very torn, the long wait was noticeable. A top-class first opportunity after almost 24 minutes left Maximilian Kastner casually at the close post. In the first power play later in the evening, Berlin champion striker Marcel Knoebels hit the bar (26th), Michaelis failing former goalkeeper Sebastian Dahm of Dell.
Michaelis Scores in Power Play
The Toronto Marlies forward did better in the next overweight game and scored cleverly for the second time of the tournament. In the final third, Germany missed several very good opportunities, including DEB top scorer Leo Födrel, who failed in the free-standing.
