Dhe unsatisfactory feeling of having meant well but done badly has led to an additional burden for the players of the German national ice hockey team and their coaches, which they could have done without. In the search for quick solutions, they were forced to think through tactical options so that they could switch off for a moment in the busy Olympic program.
The game against China, which only ended in a narrow 3:2 and offered all sorts of impermissibility, had the unwelcome consequence that thoughts sprouted in the back of the mind that it might not have been the last word of wisdom to aim for a medal postulate. In any case, as against Canada (1: 5), there was little to see of the courageous approach that Toni Söderholm and his comrades-in-arms had made. Obviously not everyone was able to cope with the pressure of expectations as planned.
The national coach therefore decided 24 hours after the China game and at the end of the preliminary round against the United States to reshuffle all the attacking lines. The project only partially worked as intended: On Sunday evening, the completely renewed German selection was beaten by Team USA 2:3 (1:1, 0:1, 1:1). They continue their quarter-final qualifiers against Slovakia on Tuesday. “That was by far our best performance here,” said Korbinian Holzer afterwards, “we don’t need to hide in terms of play.”
With his personnel changes, Söderholm ensured more stability and at the same time penetrating power – but overall it was still not enough. The 43-year-old also made a change in goal against the North Americans. He left Mathias Niederberger from Berlin out and called up Danny from Munich instead. A personality that should not have been free of irony for those affected. Niederberger will leave the capital in the summer as number one between the posts of the polar bears to join the EHC Red Bull with high standards.
Most recently, in the domestic league, Aus den Birken was not a sovereign support for his Bavarian front men. At Wukesong Sports Centre, the now 36-year-old, who was one of the protagonists who won silver in PyeongChang 2018, initially didn’t get a chance to prove his skills – this was due to his teammates managing to defuse moments of danger in good time. Patrick Hager then scored the lead (2nd minute). In the power play, after a cross from Matthias Plachta, he switched a bit faster than the defenders and tipped the disc over the line.
However, the boost that early leadership could have brought was soon gone. Tom Kühnhackl conceded an unnecessary penalty for stopping behind the American goal. That took revenge promptly: Steven Kampfer shot from a distance and equalized – untenable for Aus den Birken, whose view was blocked (5th).
What was noticeable right from the start: the Germans heeded the words of Söderholm, who had criticized the lack of straightforwardness in their actions after the two debut performances. They also showed a higher willingness to run and fight, more power was noticeable. But Aus den Birken, of all people, made a bad impression, which had consequences.
When things got confusing in front of him in the 25th minute, he lost the blade in the turmoil, which Matt Knies recognized and scored to make it 1:2. And the Americans then demonstrated how efficient the exploitation of opportunities looks like. Nathan Smith overcame Aus den Birken, with which the Germans, who were pushing hard for the equalizer, were countered ice-cold (43′). All efforts to turn the tide in the remaining time only paid off once: Kühnhackl reduced the deficit to 2:3 (58th).
Since Canada beat China 5-0 (3-0, 1-0, 1-0) at the same time, the Germans finished Group A in third place. For the time being, that’s less than they had calculated – but still leaves all possibilities due to the special tournament rules. “We still have to polish out the little things a bit,” said Kühnhackl.
