The Germans took care of the first big surprise of the playoffs, knocking out the Swiss

The Swiss team lost only two points in the regular season by defeating the Latvians in overtime, winning the other matches. But he did not succeed in the playoffs for the fourth time in a row.

While last year the US selection was beyond the strength of the Swiss, this time, just like in 2021, the Germans sent them home. They will play in the semi-finals of the World Cup for only the third time in history. In the fight for the final, they will face the Americans, who defeated the Czech Republic in a parallel match in Tampere.

The Germans gained a decisive lead at the end of the second period, when forwards John Peterka and Nico Sturm scored within 36 seconds. Goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger performed reliably, making 29 successful saves. Germany won their fifth game in a row at the tournament.

Compared to the final match in the group, star reinforcements from the NHL headed by Hischier and Niederreiter returned to the Swiss lineup, but Malgin did not start again.

Marti got the first significant chance in the 3rd minute, but goalkeeper Niederberger was ready. The Germans kept pace with their opponents and took the lead in the 7th minute when Kastner’s shot went unexpectedly between Mayer’s hand and the concrete.

Richard could equalize in a weakened state, but it was only succeeded in the 22nd minute by Siegenthaler, who hit the post exactly. Subsequently, the match was marked by a series of eliminations. First, the Germans failed to take advantage of the four-minute advantage due to Ambühl’s penalty, the Swiss did not punish Seider’s foul, who after an attack by Haas went to the cabins prematurely with a higher penalty.

The deadlock changed in the 38th minute, when the most productive German player in the tournament Peterka scored. The Buffalo forward fooled Ambühl, aimed precisely and scored his fifth goal and tenth point at the WC. Szuber was immediately sent off, but instead of equalizing, he hit Sturm in a weakened state after a sample overnumbering. The San Jose forward scored for the sixth time at the World Cup.

In the third period, he could have cut down Moser, but he did not hit the puck perfectly. Already in the 57th minute, the Swiss decided to recall the goalkeeper and tried to reduce the number of players in the field with six players, but they could not score a goal. The dismissal of Jonas Müller 50 seconds before the end did not help them either. The Swiss lost in the quarter-finals for the fourth time in a row.

Ice Hockey World Championship – Quarter Finals (Riga):

Switzerland – Germany 1:3 (0:1, 1:2, 0:0)

Goals and assists: 21. Siegenthaler (Fiala, Kukan) – 7. Kastner (Wissmann, J. Müller), 38. Peterka (Kahun, Gawanke), 39. Sturm (Stachowiak, J. Müller). Referees: Björk (Swed.), Ansons – Zunde (both Lot.), Hautamäki (Fin.). Exclusion: 4:2, in addition Seider (Germany) 5 min. and until the end of the match: No use. Underweight: 0:1. Viewers: 2896.

Švýcarsko: Mayer – Kukan, Siegenthaler, Glauser, Moser, Loeffel, Marti, Fora – Riat, Hischier, Fiala – Ambühl, Corvi, Niederreiter – Simion, Haas, Miranda – Bertschy, Richard, Herzog. Trener: Fisherman.

Německo: Niederberger – M. Müller, Seider, J. Müller, Wissmann, Szuber, Gawanke, Wagner – Peterka, Kahun, Tiffels – Soramies, Sturm, Ehl – Noebels, Kastner, Fischbuch – Tuomie, Stachowiak, Schütz – Varejcka. Trener: Circle.