Women’s World Cham­pi­onship Divi­sion IA: The strengths and weak­nesses of Austria’s oppo­nents

"Our biggest opponent is ourselves. We have to maintain our concentration from the first minute to the last. Otherwise, I expect close games throughout the tournament," said Alexander Bröms, who will be able to count on Anna Meixner at the home World Championship. The Sweden-based player played one period in the most recent warm-up game against France and has made major progress in recent weeks. It remains to be seen how much she will be able to play in each individual game.

The entire team can hardly wait for things to get under way. Friday was once again dedicated to strength training and recovery. "We deliberately decided not to have an on-ice session in order to clear our heads once more and focus on other things," said Alexander Bröms.

Looking ahead to the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey Women´s World Championship Division IA, which starts on Sunday, the Swede analysed the opponents: "Of course, all teams have strengths and weaknesses. France have some technically very well-trained players who can score and shape a game. Hungary come with incredibly high tempo, but with the right tactics we have a chance of playing a good game against them. Norway's weapon is definitely their power play. The Netherlands take to the ice without fear and play their game. When things are going well for them, they are very difficult to beat. If they have a good day, anything can happen. We do not know much about South Korea, but we will receive sufficient information during the tournament."

The ultimate goal is promotion. But anything can happen in such an evenly matched group. There is also the pressure on the team. However, Alexander Bröms sees that positively: "Compared to China last year, it is completely different. We are now playing in Europe, at home, in front of our fans. The atmosphere will be completely different. We have players who know this, who have experience of it and can handle it. We also need this pressure to play well and to get those extra percentages out of ourselves in the games where we need them. The first game will not determine our future, but a good start gives you a good feeling for the rest of the tournament."

Alexander Bröms expects his own team to play with confidence and to think only from game to game. The Head Coach is also quite confident: "I have a good feeling. We are well prepared and ready to go. In recent weeks, I have talked a lot about wanting to control what we can control. That may sound boring, but we cannot control how our opponents play or how the referees officiate the game. We will be prepared and in the end we will see what comes of it."

2024 IIHF Ice Hockey Women´s World Championship 2024

From 21 to 27 April 2024, Klagenfurt will host the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey Women´s World Championship 2024. Austria will play Hungary, France, Norway, the Netherlands and South Korea for promotion to the Top Division. Following 2009 and 2017, it is the third Women’s World Championship to be held on Austrian ice.

Schedule

Norway vs. Austria
Sun, 21 April 2024, 18:30, Klagenfurt, live on ORF SPORT +

Austria vs. South Korea
Mon, 22 April 2024, 19:30, Klagenfurt, live on ORF SPORT +

France vs. Austria
Wed, 24 April 2024, 19:30, Klagenfurt, live on ORF SPORT +

Austria vs. Hungary
Fri, 26 April 2024, 20:25, Klagenfurt, live on ORF SPORT +

Austria vs. the Netherlands
Sat, 27 April 2024, 20:25, Klagenfurt, live on ORF SPORT +

You can find the full schedule HERE!

Day and weekly tickets for the World Championship are now available via ÖEHV partner Ö-Ticket available.

Ticket prices

Day tickets € 10.-
Weekly tickets € 20.-