Victory over the newcomers
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The Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich couldn’t have started any better for Austria: Roger Bader’s team got off to a dream start on Saturday in their pivotal first match against newcomers Great Britain, leading 3-0 after just 9:47 minutes and ultimately winning 5-2 in a well-deserved victory.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen Hungary awaits in the second game on Sunday (4:20 p.m./live on the sportkrone.at ticker); another victory would virtually guarantee their place in the division!
Strong start for the red-white-reds
With David Kickert in goal, Austria took the ice for its opening game of the World Championship against Great Britain—Head Coach Roger Bader had opted for the 32-year-old over Atte Tolvanen. The Red-White-Reds radiated determination from the start and got off to a blistering start. Their very first big chance after 2:50 minutes resulted in a 1-0 lead: Wolf fought for the puck along the boards in the offensive zone, passed to Zwerger, who played a backhand pass to Nissner from behind the net: The Salzburg forward, left wide open, didn’t need to be asked twice, finishing with ice-cold precision into the top right corner (3rd minute).
But the British also looked dangerous early on: Almost immediately on the counterattack, Perlini found himself alone in front of Kickert after a pass from Neilson, but was denied once again by the strong ÖEHV goalie. While Austria continued to play with clinical precision on offense, they capitalized on a mistake by the British player Clements to make it 2-0—in spectacular fashion: Captain Schneider deflected Nissner’s wrist shot into the net with his hip (6th minute).
British double strike after Austria’s dream start
Bader’s team kept up the pressure and was promptly rewarded with the 3-0 lead. Paul Huber passed the puck to Nickl, came back to the puck after Nickl’s shot from the blue line and a brief save by Robson, and successfully tapped it in (10th minute). Austria seemed to have the match under control, but conceded the 3-1 goal in the 16th minute: David Klements took advantage of defensive disorganization and beat the helpless Kickert with a powerful shot.
As if that weren’t enough, Kickert was beaten again just 37 seconds later: The ÖEHV team failed to clear the puck from the danger zone, and Kirk promptly fired it decisively into the top corner to make it 3-2 (17th). The comfortable lead was gone, and the first power play for Zwerger and Co. passed without a goal.
Schneider’s spectacular goal
The second period started off uneventfully before the captain demonstrated his true class: Austria suddenly found itself with a 2-on-1 breakaway, Schneider skated toward the opponent’s goal with Nissner, took charge at the end, cut to the right alone in front of Robson, and flicked the puck high into the net with a backhand for the 4-2 lead (27th minute).
Wallner scores on World Championship debut
The British didn’t let up, but Kickert was there to stop Neilson. That made the fifth goal—involving the fourth forward line—all the more important after exactly 33:27 minutes: Bernd Wolf skillfully cut inside at the blue line after a pass from Kolarik, finishing his drive with a powerful shot that Robson deflected forward. Wallner followed up on his World Championship debut, failing to beat Robson on his first attempt but poking the puck over the line on his second try – 5-2 (34th). Shortly before the second intermission, Nissner (40th) hit the crossbar.
Austria started the final period 25 seconds in with a sharp shot from Nissner, which Robson stopped. The British then took a penalty for the second time in the game for having too many players on the ice; during the power play, Robson thwarted all of the opponent’s attempts—including Rohrer’s shot (45th minute).
Now a showdown with Hungary awaits
The ÖEHV team largely controlled the action in the final stretch of the game and survived the first two shorthanded situations unscathed—partly because Kickert made strong saves in goal. The 32-20 shot advantage for Austria ultimately underscored the winners’ superiority. The 5-2 victory marks a dream start that some had doubted following the many withdrawals in the run-up to the World Championship—and one that Vinzenz Rohrer and Co. hope to follow up with a second win on Sunday: The match against Hungary begins at 4:20 p.m.
Ice Hockey, World Championship in Zurich:
Austria – Great Britain 5–2 (3–2, 2–0, 0–0)
Goals: 1-0 (3.) Nissner, 2-0 (6.) Schneider, 3-0 (10.) P. Huber, 3-1 (16.) Clements, 3-2 (17.) Kirk, 4-2 (27.) Schneider, 5-2 (34.) Wallner.
Austria’s lineup: Kickert; Wolf, Unterweger; Nickl, Biber; Hackl, Maier; Stapelfeldt, Schnetzer; Schneider, Nissner, Zwerger; Thaler, Rohrer, P. Huber; Schwinger, M. Huber, Rebernig; Harnisch, Wallner, Kolarik.
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