U20 World Cham­pi­onship: Austria miss out on promo­tion show­down after defeat to France

Austria’s situation was clear after Kazakhstan’s 3:1 win over Japan: only a victory over France after 60 minutes would have set up the ultimate promotion showdown on Saturday.

Austria started their fourth World Championship game at the Tüskecsarnok with first-choice netminder Benedikt Oschgan, and the game quickly gathered pace from the outset. It was end-to-end stuff. The French struck first: Hugo Nogaretto deflected a shot by Nathan Cal into the top corner for 1:0 at the 9-minute mark.

During their first penalty kill, Lenz Moosbrugger had a shorthanded chance on his stick, but France made it 2:0 at the other end. Valentin Grossetete was at the far post and got his stick on a sharp pass at the 12-minute mark.

The ÖEHV side battled their way back into the game late in the period, and quite literally so: following a wild scramble in front of Antoine Keller’s net, the puck suddenly crossed the line. The 1:2 goal, scored 15 seconds before the first horn, was only awarded by the officials after a close video review, with Luca Erne the last red-white-red player to touch the puck at the 20-minute mark.

The second period began with a difficult spell for Head Coach Philipp Pinter’s team, as David Cernik was sent to the penalty box for four minutes for dangerous high-sticking. Les Bleus made the most of the lengthy man advantage twice: first, Antoine Addamo made it 3:1 at the 23-minute mark, before Emil Tavernier extended the lead to 4:1 at the 24-minute mark.

Netminder Martin Reder replaced Benedikt Oschgan. The change had an effect: Maximilian Wurzer redirected the puck into the net following a shot to make it 2:4 at the 28-minute mark. Austria then pressed for another goal and held the upper hand, but the goal would not come. At the other end, Teo Toubhans-Besnier sent the puck into the net from the right for 5:2 at the 36-minute mark.

Towards the end, Red-White-Red were unable to convert a power play, but carried one minute of it over into the final period.

Another comeback bid in the final period

Austria made the better start there: Johannes Neumann fired after a quick burst of pace, and France netminder Antoine Keller allowed the puck to slip over his catching glove and into the net for 3:5 at the 44-minute mark. Once again, the ÖEHV players were chasing another goal, while the French waited to counter-attack.

Then Jonas Dobnig took matters into his own hands, driving in front of the net from the right and beating Keller emphatically to make it 4:5 with exactly 52 minutes played. Austria pressed for the equaliser and even had a man advantage, but France scored shorthanded through Raphael Chauvel for 6:4 at the 55-minute mark.

Red-White-Red took risks early, with Head Coach Philipp Pinter pulling netminder Reder for a sixth skater. 39 seconds before the end, Valentin Grossetete scored an empty-netter to make it 7:4 for France. Austria therefore missed out on Saturday’s promotion showdown with Kazakhstan. Forward Johannes Neumann was named Austria’s player of the game.

Head Coach Philipp Pinteranalysed the game shortly after the final horn and, despite the initial disappointment, is proud of his team: "Naturally, it is bitter so soon afterwards, especially the way we lost today. At five-on-five, the boys played incredible ice hockey at times, applying tremendous pressure, creating great chances, and we also had significantly more shots on goal than the French. It was great to see how they kept fighting, kept going and stuck together after falling behind in order to stay on the front foot. I am very proud that the team did not give up. Special teams are, of course, very important in a tournament like this. We conceded a goal almost every time we were shorthanded, while we did not convert anything on the power play at the other end, and that is how you lose a game like this. But at five-on-five, we were the better team. We are now playing for the medals; promotion is no longer possible. But for that to happen, so much has to come together and, above all, the special teams have to work. As I said, I am very proud of the team!"

On Saturday, the ÖEHV side face Kazakhstan in their final World Championship game from 19:30 – live on LIVE.eishockey.at – Kazakhstan beat Japan 3:1 on the fourth matchday and, following Austria’s defeat to France, had already secured promotion to the Top Division before the final matchday.

2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division IA

France vs. Austria 7:4 (2:1,3:1,2:2)
Thu, 14 December 2023, 16:00
France goalscorers: Hugo Nogaretto (9), Valentin Grossetete (12/PP1, 60/EN), Antoine Addamo (23/PP1), Emil Tavernier (24/PP1), Teo Toubhans-Besnier (36), Raphael Chauvel (55/SH1)
Austria scorers: Luca Erne (20'), Maximilian Wurzer (28'), Johannes Neumann (44'), Jonas Dobnig (53')

>> Current standings

Next match:

Austria vs. Kazakhstan
Sat, 16 December 2023, 19:30, live on LIVE.eishockey.at

Matches played:

Austria vs. Denmark 3:4 (1:1,0:1,2:2)
Wed, 13 December 2023, 19:30
Austria scorers: Ian Scherzer (11', 57'), Florian Lanzinger (49')
Denmark scorers: Daniel Olsson (10'), Albert Schioldan (39'/PP1), Oliver Marloth (44'), Hjalte Thomsen (46')

Austria vs. Hungary 3:2 (1:1,1:1,1:0)
Mon, 11 December 2023, 19:30
Austria scorers: David Cernik (10'/PP1, 32'), Gregor Biber (60')
Hungary scorers: László Farkas (6'/PP1), Bendegúz Dobos (39'/PP1)

Japan vs. Austria 2:5 (1:2,0:3,1:0)
Sun, 10 December 2023, 19:30
Japan scorers: Tyler Serino Maxner (20.), Taisetsu Ushio (59.)
Austria scorers: Ian Scherzer (9./PP1), Jakob Lippitsch (18.), Luca Erne (35.), Paul Reiner (37.), Jonas Dobnig (38.)

Further information, standings and statistics on the official IIHF website