Ice Hockey - Women

Austria loses to France 3:5 at the B-World Championship!

(Bild: EPA)

Austria's ice hockey women have to bury their promotion dreams after the third match at the B-World Championship in Klagenfurt! Despite leading three times, the Austrians were beaten 3:5 (1:1, 1:1, 1:3) by relegated A-WC team France on Wednesday evening and are only in fourth place in the table after their 6:0 win over South Korea and 2:3 against Norway. They face Hungary on Friday and the Netherlands on Saturday.

ÖEHV head coach Alexander Bröms spoke of great disappointment in the team in the ORF interview. "It's really frustrating. We were ahead three times. Somehow we couldn't hold on, France kept coming back. Maybe we didn't prepare the team the way we should have," he said self-critically. It was down to small details, small individual mistakes. "But we'll take the defeat as a team. The chance to move up is over."

"It's a tough pill to swallow!"
Captain Anna Meixner's disappointment was also written all over her face. "Extremely bitter, I'm at a loss for words. The team spirit was there, we came out of the locker room strong and really wanted it. It's a tough pill to swallow. But there are positive aspects to take out of it, across all three or four lines. We created a great offense."

In an evenly-matched game, Lena Dauböck sparked the first cheers in the Heidi Horten Arena in the 11th minute and put Austria 1:0 ahead. However, the lead only lasted four minutes before France equalized through Estelle Duvin (15th). In the second period, Theresa Schafzahl put the hosts back in front from a power play in the 23rd minute. Captain Anna Meixner then missed a chance to make it 3:1, but the French then pressed for the equalizer and their efforts were rewarded by Clara Rozier (35).

Double strike in the 50th and 51st minute
In the final period, Schafzahl deflected a shot from Anna Meixner perfectly to give the ÖEHV women the lead for the third time in the 43rd minute. The Austrians then controlled the match for a while, but then France turned the match around with a double strike in the 50th and 51st minute: Rozier and Emma Nonnenmacher with a shot from distance made it 4:3, Duvin scored into the empty net in the final minute.