Austria lose 2:5 to France at the Four Nations Tour­na­ment in Oslo

The young Austrian side under Head Coach Roger Bader delivered a good performance, but put themselves under pressure through lapses in concentration. This was particularly the case in the middle period, when France went from 1:1 to 4:1 within four minutes, including a shorthanded goal. Overall, the final score of 2:5 was too harsh.

Austria matched France, firing 27 shots, three more than their opponents. They had a 12:6 advantage in shots on goal in the first period in particular. However, they were unable to swing the momentum in their favour.

This was especially true in the second period, which put the Grande Nation on the road to victory. The score was 1:1 after the opening 20 minutes. Between 33 and 37 minutes, France effectively decided the game. First, Robin Colomban, who had also scored to make it 1:0, restored the French lead with a deflected shot. Two minutes later, they capitalised on a power play following a penalty against Tobias Sablattnig to make it 3:1, before Kevin Bozon cleverly intercepted a pass in his own zone while shorthanded and finished the counter-attack to make it 4:1.

Austria were initially not unsettled by this and used the power play to reduce the deficit to 2:4 through Lukas Kainz, who picked out the top-left corner. They entered the final 20 minutes with plenty of energy and at times established themselves in the offensive zone. However, the goal to reduce the deficit further would not come. Instead, Guillaume Leclerc sealed the 5:2 final score for the opposition five minutes before the final buzzer.

Head Coach Roger Bader: "From my point of view, it was an evenly balanced game, with France's victory too emphatic in the end. We were the better team in the first period, we were stronger and should really have been ahead. France were better in the second period, and we have to give them credit for that. Between 33 and 37 minutes, we completely lost focus. Nevertheless, the commitment was good, even though it was clear that international experience was lacking. Especially on this NHL-sized ice surface. You are under enormous pressure there, more than you are used to in everyday life. We perhaps tried to do too much and made risky plays, especially in the middle period. That ultimately led to turnovers. It is a learning experience that showed us we need to play more simply and pragmatically. The result ultimately does not reflect the performance."

IIHF February Break 2025

03–09 February 2025, Oslo (NOR)

France vs. Austria 5:2 (1:1,3:1,1:0)
Fri., 07 February 2025, 15:00
France scorers: Robin Colomban (5., 33.), Kevin Spinozzi (35./PP1), Kévin Bozon (37./SH1), Guillaume Leclerc (56.)
Austria scorer: Lukas Kainz (11./PP1, 39.)

Denmark vs. Austria
Sat., 08 February 2025, 14:00, live on Krone TV