Austria's U18 national team beat Italy 3:0 in Ferlach

Austria started the training match against Italy at Ferlach Ice Rink on the front foot and aggressively. Before long, the red-and-whites were able to establish themselves in the attacking zone for an extended period for the first time.

Paul Noll drove forcefully in front of goal with the puck from the right-hand side and scored from the slot to give Austria an early 1:0 lead in the fourth minute. Backed by the assured Benedikt Oschgan in goal, the match developed into an ideal test against the visitors, who were compact defensively.

Head Coach Philipp Pinter's team were on top and had more shots on goal, but the second goal would not come. This was also due to a strong performance from Italy's netminder Damian Clara. However, after Austria's strong start, the Italians, who were now also matching them physically, grew into the game following a power-play spell.

Austria again played offensively in the second period, spent more time in the opposition zone and had several shots on goal, but without success. Towards the end of the second period, Austria missed a great opportunity to extend the score to 2:0 while on a 5:3 power play.

The pace remained high in the final period, with both teams continuing to play the test intensely. Patrick Müller replaced Oschgan in goal in the final period to gain match practice. Austria moved the puck forward quickly and, after the demanding training, looked strong both on their skates and physically.

In the end, the ÖEHV selection rewarded themselves with two late goals. First, Florian Lanzinger spun on his own axis and buried the puck to make it 2:0 with 59 minutes played. Eleven seconds before the end, David Waschnig put the finishing touch on the game with his shot for 3:0.

After regulation time had been completed, the two coaches also simulated a five-minute three-on-three overtime on the ice and a penalty shoot-out. Head Coach Philipp Pinter analysed the game after the final siren:

"The start was very good, my players came out highly motivated, we played very aggressively and the forechecking was already working well. We were able to put the Italians under good pressure. Then they tried to play a little more physically, and for eight or nine minutes we drifted out of the game a bit, when Italy applied pressure following a power play. They also had one or two good chances. We then had a lot of the game in the second period, but unfortunately we could not convert anything. We played a lot in their zone. The final period was our best period, and we were rewarded with the goals!"

Austria begin the Division I, Group B World Championship in Bled, Slovenia, against Poland next week on Easter Monday at 12:30. The game against Estonia follows on Tuesday, before they face hosts Slovenia on Thursday. Italy await on Saturday and South Korea on Sunday to conclude the tournament. The final World Championship squad will be announced on Saturday.

U18 men's ice hockey national team training match

Austria vs. Italy 3:0 (1:0,0:0,2:0)
Fri, 07 April 2023, 17:30, Ferlach Ice Rink
Austria goalscorers: Paul Noll (4th), Florian Lanzinger (59th), David Waschnig (60th)

2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division I, Group B

10. 2023 April - 16 April 2023, Bled (SLO)

Poland vs. Austria
Mon, 10 April 2023, 12:30, Bled Ice Rink

Austria vs. Estonia
Tue, 11 April 2023, 12:30, Bled Ice Rink

Slovenia vs. Austria
Thu, 13 April 2023, 19:30, Bled Ice Hall

Austria vs. Italy
Sat, 15 April 2023, 19:30, Bled Ice Hall

Austria vs. South Korea
Sun, 16 April 2023, 16:00, Bled Ice Hall

All information and the full schedule can be found at www.iihf.com