Very strong! Austria’s U18 men cele­brate opening win against top-divi­sion nation Norway

Austria got off to a dream start at Jelgavas Ledus Halle: Nico Uschan fired from the blue line on the first power play to score for 1:0 after exactly 66 seconds (2nd minute). Red-White-Red followed up, with Leon Kolarik converting a pass from Paul Oberhauser from close range to make it 2:0 (5th minute). Late in the first period, Mikkel Eriksen pulled one back for Norway to make it 1:2 (19th minute).

The second period was an end-to-end affair. The physically robust Norwegians, who compete in the U18 top division at the World Championship, now played more offensively. Head Coach Florian Mühlstein’s team stood up to them and repeatedly created dangerous chances in front of the Norwegian net. One such attack led to 3:1. Following a cross-ice pass from Leon Kolarik, a Norwegian redirected the puck straight onto the blade of Paul Sintschnig, who spectacularly scored from his knees at the perfect moment (38th minute).

In the final period, Austria tried to keep the match under control. At the back, goaltender Luca Haitzmann exuded calm and confidence, preserving the two-goal lead with a superb save while shorthanded. The Norwegians pulled their goaltender early for a sixth skater, and Romeo Edvardsen Sørensen scored from the blue line just under three minutes from the end to make it 2:3 (58th minute). 

Exactly a minute and a half from the end, Leon Kolarik scored into the empty net to make it 4:2 and seal the result (59th minute). Norway scored on the final buzzer, but the goal was disallowed by the referees as time had expired. Austria celebrated a strong 4:2 opening win at the Four Nations Tournament against U18 top-division nation Norway. 

Head Coach Florian Mühlstein was pleased with his team’s performance: "That was a good game from us; we only allowed the opposition into the game through our own mistakes. We controlled the defensive zone very well. We did allow shots from the outside, but Luca Haitzmann made some excellent saves. The boys showed character in the third period and we got better and better. We really wanted the win, had to sweat a little at the end, but saw it through. It was a good learning game ahead of the World Championship, and several players put themselves in the spotlight!"

Austria continue their campaign in Jelgava against hosts Latvia on Friday. Like Norway, Latvia will compete at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship in the USA in April – in Frisco and Allen, Texas.

Red-White-Red compete in U18 World Championship Division I, Group A and, following last year’s sensational bronze medal in Frederikshavn, will be looking to make their mark again in Szekesfehervar in April 2025. Austria’s third opponent, Denmark, will also be a direct World Championship rival in Hungary.

>> Click here for the current squad

U18 Men’s National Team Four Nations Tournament (LAT)

Norway vs Austria 2:4 (1:2,0:1,1:1)
Thu, 06 February 2025, 15:00 (16:00 local time), Jelgava
Austria scorers: Nico Uschan (2nd/PP1), Leon Kolarik (5th, 59th), Paul Sintschnig (38th)

Other matches:

Austria vs Latvia

Fri, 07 February 2025, 18:30 (19:30 local time), Jelgava

Austria vs Denmark

Sat, 08 February 2025, 12:00 (local time 13:00), Jelgava

2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division IA

20 April 2025 - 26 April 2025, Szekesfehervar (HUN)

Participants: Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Austria, Hungary, Denmark, Slovenia

Denmark vs. Austria
Sun, 20 April 2025, 12:30, Alba Arena

Austria vs. Slovenia

Mon, 21 April 2025, 16:00, Alba Arena

Ukraine vs. Austria

Wed, 23 April 2025, 12:30, Alba Arena

Austria vs. Kazakhstan

Thu, 24 April 2025, 16:00, Alba Arena

Austria vs. Hungary

Sat, 26 April 2025, 16:00, Alba Arena