Vancouver -
They have given everything, blasted, checked, fought. National and defender Christian Ehrhoff (Vancouver Canucks smashed) with a slap shot even a Plexiglas pane.
But the German national ice hockey team at the Olympics in Vancouver can not simply win. Against Belarus, it was a bitter defeat 3:5.
The third bust in the third game - still is lost yet. In the struggle for the quarter is now against Canada, Russia, the Czech Republic or Slovakia (Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, CET).
But the turn! It was a thrilling match: Germany 40:17 with dominant goal shots clear, but once again luck. National coach Uwe Krupp sat in the gate again at the ex-Cologne's Thomas Greiss (San Jose Sharks). And the front relieved Dennis Seidenberg (Florida Panthers), first in the sixth minute, the German Keintorhasen. His goal was the first in the Olympic tournament after the 0:2 and 0:5 defeats against Sweden and Finland.
But then again the very best opportunities were awarded. The Belarusians made it better. Ugarov (11) and Kalyuzhni (29 shot) with their results the game. Fortunately for Germany also, as Antonenko hit the post.
Krupp suffered behind the bench with his team, gesticulating - and motivated, lamented. But it runs like a thread through the last few years: the German national ice hockey team simply has no clippers, the puck reinhaut. The boy had tried often enough against Belarus. After the second third of Germany had 24 shots on goal, only eleven Belarus. Seidenberg: "This is our shortcoming, we need even more aggressive reinjagen the puck and kick it the release calls it. But the offensive was already quite good, we take the positive things with now. "
Weak, however, was the Überzahlspiel, because there were regular opportunities herausgespielt little. And if the shooters were thwarted by the goalkeeper safe Koval.
Dabnn's is curious. The Belarusians Kostitsyn pass through it to 3-1. But the Hamburg John Tripp and Marcel Goc will, within a minute the equalizer. Is it something else? No, because the German blindly throw everything forward and collect a counter. Salei true to 3:4, 3:5 Kalyuzhny increases still on. Ehrhoff, "After we had rangekämpft us, we were a little too euphoric, really wanted to win. This has taken its revenge."
With a victory against the White Russians, it would have gone against Switzerland. This would become extremely explosive, because at the edge of the games revolves around a hot rumor: The Swiss national coach Ralph Krueger is for the Ice Hockey World Cup in Germany of new German national coach. In Olympia, Krupp Krueger and go but now lost in the playoff quarterfinals of the road.
Ehrhoff, "If we play now against Canada, which would certainly be a great experience, but to Slovakia from paper I would prefer. Then we would have more of a chance. "The enemy (Canada, Russia, Czech Republic or Slovakia) decides after the next game with the Cracker Canada against the USA (night on Monday, 30/01 clock), and the games between Russia and the Czech Republic (21 clock this evening), as well as Sweden and Finland (Monday morning of 6 clock).
This year, the Olympics mode is such that even a team that has won no preliminary round, can be Olympic champions. The three first and the second best group are directly qualified for the quarterfinals. The remaining four teams will be played in a playoff on Tuesday.
How it works: After the preliminaries, a general table of all the teams created. Since the first four are on the fifth play against the Twelfth, the Sixth to the Eleventh, the Seventh to the Tenth and the Eighth to the Ninth. The winners of these games having reached the quarter-finals. Germany is the eleventh, only Latvia is worse after the first round.
