Deutsch­land Cup 2022: Austria beat Slovakia 3:2 after over­time!

The Austrians scored four of the five goals on Thursday afternoon. How was that possible?

After the first period, in which both teams were clearly still finding their feet, the score was 1:1. Dominique Heinrich was initially unfortunate in the 15th minute, deflecting a cross-ice pass from Michal Beno, who was credited with the goal, unstoppably for David Kickert into his own net to make it 1:0 to Slovakia.

Just four minutes later, however, Bernd Wolf was on hand to score the thoroughly deserved equaliser with a fine top-corner finish. Slovakia goaltender Denis Godla could only watch as the puck flew past his left shoulder and into the net.

In the second period, Heinrich finally got himself on the scoresheet. Just 3:15 minutes after the restart, the 32-year-old also picked out the top right corner to give Austria a 2:1 lead. Both teams really found their stride in this period, creating several chances. The Austrians consistently managed to implement the instructions of Head Coach Roger Bader, playing fast, dynamic ice hockey and keeping their opponents under constant pressure.

Austria were therefore closer to making it 3:1 than Slovakia were to equalising. Towards the end of the second period, they took their first and only two-minute penalty of the game. Thimo Nickl had to go to the penalty box, but his team-mates saw out the 120 seconds unscathed.

The final period continued in the same fast-paced manner. Austria failed to capitalise on a two-man advantage midway through the third period. Marco Kasper had the 3:1 on his stick, but the puck missed the net from a tight angle. With five minutes remaining, Adrian Holesinsky was on hand for Slovakia, beating David Kickert one-on-one to make it 2:2. The decision would ultimately come in overtime.

Austria won the puck at the face-off and patiently built up their attack in a controlled manner. After just 32 seconds, it was Lukas Haudum, who found the net to make it 3:2 and send Austria into celebration.

Lukas Haudum: "It was very difficult today. Slovakia played at a good pace, so we needed a very good performance. At times, we were a little lacking in defensive-zone assignments, but overall it was a good game from us that we can build on. I think this win means a great deal to us, especially after the excellent World Championship. We want to show that we can compete with these nations. This win gives us confidence for the tournament."

David Kickert, Player of the Match: "There was plenty to do. Many of the young players first had to get used to the pace. I don’t think we are quite where we want to be yet. The speed and traffic in front of the net are on a different level to our league. We set ourselves the internal target of picking up two wins, and this is the first."

Head Coach Roger Bader: "We were able to implement many of the things we had planned. We still had a few difficulties in the first period. It always takes a period when you come together again. We did better from the second period onwards. Overall, I felt that second period was very, very strong from us. Even though Slovakia, like us, had to do without several players from the World Championship, it was particularly evident how deep we have become in the meantime. That was very pleasing to see."

Result – Deutschland Cup 2022

Austria vs. Slovakia 3:2 n.V. (1:1,1:0,0:1,1:0)
Thu, 10 November 2022, 16:15
Austria goalscorers: Bernd Wolf (19'), Dominique Heinrich (24'/PP1), Lukas Haudum (61')
Slovakia goalscorers: Michal Beno (15'), Adrian Holesinsky (55')

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