Leaned back, almost turned the game – and lost in the end; Germany lost in the fifth group game to the reigning ice hockey world champions Finland 1: 2 (0: 1, 1: 0, 0: 1) and slipped to fourth place in the group B in the preliminary round.
It was a very intense duel and for the German team after three wins, the second defeat in a row.
National coach Toni Söderholm had to do without attacker Lukas Reichel against his home country, who was eliminated after a check on his head from the 2: 3 against Kazakhstan. After two days without play, the DEB selection found it difficult to get back into their rhythm. The first penalty that Moritz Seider conceded resulted in an early deficit: Just eight seconds outnumbered the Finns through Anton Lundell to lead (7th).
In the second third, the DEB selection increased, but the equalization fell surprisingly: Stefan Loibl put the puck back, while Korbinian Holzer scored his second tournament goal from a covert view (28th).
In the final third, the German team survived another shortfall because the players blocked numerous shots, like in the 3-1 win against Canada – especially Tom Kühnhackl. But a late counterattack gave Finland the lead again: Lundell cleared Reijo Routsalainen, who easily pushed in (52nd).
In order to advance, the German team will most likely need a win from the last two group games on Monday (3:15 p.m.) against the USA and on Tuesday (7:15 p.m. / both Sport1) against hosts Latvia.
