U18 World Cham­pi­onship Divi­sion IB: Setback in the promo­tion race – Austria fall 1:3 to France

"It was an incredibly disjointed game. Many of the things we set out to do did not come off," said Head Coach Peter Schweda, with the disappointment over the 1:3 also evident. France enjoyed a clear advantage in chances, particularly in the first period, but Martin Haim could not be beaten. The penalty kill also worked well, with Austria shorthanded three times in the opening 20 minutes alone.

The middle period developed into an evenly matched contest, although neither side created any real clear-cut chances. All the goals came in the final period, with France fortunate when Andrea Meunier fired a shot from the blue line. France pulled away to 3:0 within 37 seconds, scoring at the 53 and 54 marks.

Austria only got on the scoresheet in the final minute, with Emil Wagner scoring on the power play. It remained 1:3.

Head Coach Peter Schweda: "We need to analyse the game quickly and pick the boys up. It is back to square one. We will stay in the here and now and come back stronger against Estonia on Tuesday."

2026 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship

26 April - 1 May 2026, Tallinn, Estonia
All Austria games will be broadcast live on the KRONE-Livestream.
Official website

Schedule
Austria vs. France 1:3 (0:0, 0:0, 1:3)
Sun., 26 April 2026, 11:30
Austria scorers: Emil Wagner (60/PP)
France scorers: Andrea Meunier (46), Kilian Alves Pereira (53), Darcy Terglav (54)
Game Sheet

Austria vs. Estonia
Tue, 28 April 2026, 18:30

South Korea vs. Austria
Thu, 30 April 2026, 15:00

Austria vs. Lithuania
Fri, 1 May 2026, 11:30

Already played
Italy vs. Austria 1:4 (0:2, 1:1, 0:1)
Sat, 25 April 2026, 11:30
Italy goalscorer: Philipp Winkler (21)
Austria goalscorers: Lennart Leitner (7), Paul Sintschnig (19), Johannes Dobrovolny (35), David Niederleitner (54/PP)
Game Sheet