U18 Women’s World Cham­pi­onship Divi­sion IA: Austria win against Italy after a sensa­tional come­back

Austria started their second World Championship game against hosts Italy at the Würtharena in Egna/Neumarkt in front of more than 450 fans, with Rosina Fichtinger in goal and full of confidence following their opening win against France. The ÖEHV selection played offensively from the outset and put the Azzurri under pressure, but were unable to make an early power play count to take the lead. 

Red-White-Red also had good chances on their second power play, but Italy goalie Margherita Ostoni could not be beaten. At five-on-five, both teams played at a brisk pace and there were hardly any stoppages in the first period. Austria then killed off their first penalty, with Rosina Fichtinger exuding assurance and calm in goal.

Italy got off to a flying start in the second period and took a 1:0 lead. Manuela Heidenberger caught goalie Rosina Fichtinger out from a tight angle at the near post after exactly 53 seconds (21.). The hosts extended their lead to 2:0 through Matilde Fantin on the ensuing power play (27.). 

Austria were unlucky at the other end: Serena Unger first fired the puck off the post, while Isabel Friess was unable to convert the rebound into the empty net. Italy, meanwhile, were ruthless in taking their chances. It was Matilde Fantin again who scored for 3:0 shortly after a power play had expired (34.). Shortly before the end of the second period, Austria finally got themselves on the scoresheet when Hanna Danninger fired home on the power play 25 seconds before the buzzer to make it 1:3 (40.).

Strong comeback in the final period

Vanessa Picka had the chance to pull one back in the final period, but was denied by Ostoni from close range. Head Coach Mario Bellina’s team now pressed for a second goal, but Italy’s defence stood firm alongside goalie Ostoni. It took a power play to produce the much-awaited goal: Artemis Tekin forced the puck over the line from a tight angle to make it 2:3 (52.). 

It was now crunch time: Austria pushed for the equaliser, while Italy defended by every means possible. With a minute and a half remaining, Gloria Henek struck a fine shot on the next power play to level the score at 3:3 (59.) and send Red-White-Red into overtime. 

There was no goal in overtime, so the game had to be decided in a shootout. Laura Nagy was the only player from either team to score, securing Austria the 4:3 victory and the additional point. They are back in action against Japan on Tuesday at 16:00.

Head Coach Mario Bellina was pleased with his team after their second win: "We approached today’s game with a different strategy. We tried to take Italy’s playmaker Matilde Fantin out of the game, and we managed that for large parts of the first two periods, yet she still scored two goals, which shows how strong a player she is. Italy rely on two or three good players, and we controlled them quite well. It was important that we scored to make it 1:3. That is a scoreline from which games can often still be turned around in ice hockey. We still had a period to play, and we told the girls in the dressing room that, with Monday off, they could leave everything out on the ice. We had nothing left to lose, we had to step it up, we needed a goal. Ten minutes from the end, I told the girls that we had five minutes each to score a goal. We then created a lot of chances and played hard towards the net. We scored the goals through some nice passing plays, and there was great joy in the final period. We then played very cleverly in overtime, even though we took a silly penalty right at the start. A shootout is always a bit of a gamble, but ultimately it is simply an incredibly important win!"

2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship Division IA

06 January 2024 - 12 January 2024, Neumarkt/Egna (ITA)
Participants: Japan, Italy, France, Hungary, Austria, Denmark

Italy vs. Austria 3:4 after a shootout (0:0,3:1,0:2,0:0,0:1)
Sun, 07 January 2024, 16:00
Italy goalscorers: Manuela Heidenberger (21.), Matilde Fantin (27./PP1, 34.)
Austria goalscorers: Hanna Danninger (40./PP1), Artemis Tekin (52./PP1), Gloria Henek (59./PP1) – Laura Nagy decisive shootout goal

Other matches:

Japan vs. Austria
Tue, 09 January 2024, 16:00

Hungary vs. Austria
Wed, 10 January 2024, 12:30

Austria vs. Denmark
Fri, 12 January 2024, 12:30 

Already played:

Austria vs. France 2:1 (1:0, 0:0, 1:1)
Sat, 06 January 2024, 12:30
Austria goalscorers: Isabel Friess (19), Anna Billa (47)
France goalscorer: Armelle Chabert (48)

Current IIHF standings