Austria’s U20 men’s ice hockey national team takes off for the World Cup in Canada. All the players called three weeks ago were on board, and of course all the PCR tests were negative. Finally, two days are left for the preparations to start.
“Now you can slowly feel how the anticipation and positive tensions are building up as well,” said EHV sporting director Mr. Roger Bader, who leads Austria’s U20 team as head of the delegation.
Finland (27 December), hosts Canada (28 December), the Czech Republic (30 December) and Germany (31 December) are hostile groups. They will play two more Test matches against Slovakia and Sweden on 21 and 23 December, after which head coach Marco Payval will nominate the final 25-man squad with whom they will travel to Edmonton the same day.
“It’s something special to compete with the best of the world. Things are only going to get dire this year after not being in relegation last year. We see the possibility of avoiding relegation against Germany. Should it go into relegation? ‘I expected Slovakia or Switzerland,’ says Roger Bader.
As the game plan states, the sibling duel with Germany is the last group game. So a real showdown.
Before that happens, after arriving in Canada, you’ll need to quickly adapt to a two-day quarantine, keep up with the time change, and use the two days to rest and regenerate.
Because the next days and weeks will be intense, as Roger Bader revealed: “Daily training units, sports at the highest level – you have to be fit and ready. Both physically and mentally.”
www.eishockey.at, photo: EHV
