U16 4-Nations Tour­na­ment: Austria only fall to Switzer­land

Right at the start, the team led by Head Coach Florian Mühlstein faced tournament favourites and hosts Switzerland. The Swiss lived up to their status as favourites with the 5:1 win, but Mühlstein was nevertheless not dissatisfied: “At times, we were able to create chances and stood firm defensively. That allowed us to keep the game open for a long time, but over 60 minutes, Switzerland's quality prevailed. Individual mistakes also made the opposition stronger. It was a good assessment of where we stand.”

The course of the game against Italy was completely different. Austria began dominantly, controlled the game, but were once again prone to errors. They had to concede an equaliser twice before wrapping things up in the middle period. “We converted two of five power plays and did not concede while shorthanded. The special teams worked very well. However, our own mistakes and unnecessary penalties allowed the opposition back into the game,” summarised Florian Mühlstein.

A 5:3 win over Denmark rounded off the tournament, securing 2nd place. As against Italy, they conceded the equaliser twice. Maximilian Petritsch finally sealed the 5:3 win with nine seconds remaining. “We certainly did not play our best game in this match. However, Tobias Buchinger delivered a superb goaltending performance and kept us in the game. Once again, individual mistakes allowed the opposition to come back time and again. That was the reason for the close scoreline, which was actually unnecessary,” said Mühlstein.

Over the course of the season, highlighted by the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon (KOR), the Head Coach takes a positive view: “This tournament showed that when the players are on the ice consistently, we can compete with the top nations. The clubs also deserve credit here, as they are doing really good work. A major positive this year was the Youth Olympic Games, which the core of the team attended. This tournament brought the team closer together, and we coaches were also able to build a good relationship with the players. As the majority are now moving into the U18 age group, the aim is to prepare them for this age group so that they can make the squad.” 

Results: 4-Nations Tournament, Kloten (SUI)

Switzerland vs. Austria 5:1 (1:0, 1:0, 3:1)
Thu, 18 April 2024, 18:30
Switzerland scorers: Yanis Lutz (6), Kimi Sutter (34), Nino Schoch (41), Fabrice Bouvard (51), Nicola Bosshard (55)
Austria scorer: Maximilian Petritsch (45')

Austria vs. Italy 5:3 (2:1, 3:2, 0:0)
Fri, 19 April 2024, 15:00
Austria scorers: Jonathan Oschgan (6), Paul Vaschauner (20), Ben Öfner (28, 34), Luc Van Ee (39)
Italy scorers: Lorenzo Ferretti (16, 38), Philipp Winkler (25)

Denmark vs. Austria 3:5 (0:1, 2:2, 1:2)
Sat, 20 April 2024, 11:00
Denmark scorers: Mads Foss (22), Anton Dichow (33), Mikkel Poulsen (50)
Austria scorers: Luc Van Ee (8, 26), Jan Popatnig (39), Lennart Leitner (52), Maximilian Petritsch (60)

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