BEIJING (AP) — National ice hockey player Marko Novak is set to make his Olympic return on Tuesday in a deciding game for the quarter-finals against Slovakia.
The 31-year-old defender was back on the ice after several days of forced breaks in training and was able to complete the session without any problems. “It looks great,” German Ice Hockey Federation sporting director Christian Kunst later said.
Novak himself did not want to comment. The leading player had to work hard on his head in the first group game against Canada (1:5) last Thursday. Due to suspicions of concussion, Düsseldorfer was not able to play again after that and was not able to train again on ice. “It is important that he is not badly injured,” national coach Tony Soderholm said. “He’s an important part of the team, including in the dressing room.”
In the decider against Slovakia, Söderholm expects “a very intense game”. After 2:3 in the final preliminary round match against USA on Sunday evening in Beijing, the Finn only allowed his team to complete a short session on Monday morning. “It was about getting the game off its feet. We have another meeting tonight and then we will be ready for Slovakia,” Soderholm said. In the event of a win, the quarterfinals will again be played against USA on Wednesday. This game will also take place in the morning (5.10 am) according to German time.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220214-99-115686/2
