U18 women impress in Füssen

From 13 to 17 December, Austria's U18 Women's National Team held a team camp and took part in a four-nation tournament in Füssen/GER. Austria had already demonstrated that it feels at home on this ice during the Olympic qualifier in 2021, among other occasions. The U18 team promptly followed suit, defeating Germany before narrowly losing to top nations Sweden and Switzerland. The team feels well prepared for the U18 World Championship Division IA in Ritten/ITA from 9 to 15 January 2023.

17 December 20221 min read

“I am very satisfied; the mood within the team is very good. If we can perform like we did against Sweden in a tournament, we do not need to fear any opponent,” Head Coach Mario Bellina concluded in an extremely positive assessment.

Germany were beaten 1:0, followed by a narrow 3:4 defeat against top nation Sweden and a 1:3 loss to Switzerland, another top-division nation.

Not all plays flowed smoothly in the opening match against Germany, as the team still needed a little time. Nevertheless, Austria prevailed 1:0.

“We started somewhat nervously against Sweden and showed too much respect early on. From the second period onwards, the team played as I have never seen it play before. A 3:3 draw after regulation would have been fair,” Mario Bellina proudly summed up the performance against Sweden.

Against Switzerland, the team was not quite able to bring the previous day's performance onto the ice. The second period was the strongest in terms of play, but in the end Austria had to concede defeat 1:3.

The tournament provided many insights ahead of the World Championship next January, and the World Championship squad has already been decided. “Provided everyone remains healthy and injury-free,” stresses the Head Coach.

At the World Championship in Ritten, Italy, Austria will face Italy (9 January), France (10 January), Germany (12 January), Hungary (13 January) and Norway (14 January).