Germany wins Deutschland Cup
09 Nov 2014 | Markus Nisius
Germany won the 25th edition of the Deutschland Cup, but lost the last game against Canada. The future looks bright for the tournament, but might have changes coming.
Going into
the last day of the tournament it was already clear that Germany would win it
and that Canada would be the last placed team. The host had won its games
against Switzerland (3-1) and Slovakia (2-1) and since today’s opponent Canada
has lost both of its games (1-4 against Slovakia and 1-2 against Switzerland)
no team could pass Germany any more. The insurance for the German wins was Patrick
Reimer with 2 goals against the Swiss and assists on both of the goals against
the Slovaks. He could also win the tournament’s scoring race.
Despite –
or maybe because of – the win being secured already they dropped the last decision
against Canada today with 2-4 after a 2-0 lead in the first period. Goals by
Kevin Clark, Bud Holloway, Steven Reinprecht and Brandon Buck turned the game
around and gave Canada the first win along the way.
More
interesting was the game for the second place. After Adam Lapsansky gave the
Slovaks a lead after 35 minutes, Lino Martschini and Samuel Walser could
guarantee Switzerland a second place finish within 51 seconds early in the last
period.
In a press
conference DEB president Franz Reindl also discussed the future of the
tournament. The host was satisfied with the tournament and they want to keep it
in Munich, while the number of sold tickets leaves room for improvement. The
most interesting question will be which teams will participate in the next
year. Slovakia and Switzerland will most certainly be back, but it is discussed
whether the exchange of Team USA and Team Canada will continue. Austria might
be another option for the tournament to spark the local rivalries.