Deutschland Cup opens with two shootout wins and broken glass

Deutschland Cup - Day 1

USA - Slovakia 3-4 SO (2-0, 1-1, 0-2, 0-0, 0-1)

In a high-class Deutschland Cup opener on Friday afternoon Team USA wasn't able to defend a 3-0 lead. In front of 4,550 spectators in the Olympia-Eishalle in Munich which usually is the home of DEL side EHC Red Bull München, the Americans had the better start against tournament favourites Slovakia who used most of their KHL stars, but couldn't avoid their 5th consecutive loss against their rivals from Europe. The scoring began already in the 5th minute through Dan Sexton of SM-liiga side TPS Turku before Tim Stapleton of KHL's Ak Bars Kazan - the only American in their Deutschland Cup roster who also played during the 2013 WC for his country - doubled the lead in power play just three minutes later. When former longtime NHL and now Kloten winger Peter Mueller added the 3-0 in the 35th minute, nothing did look like the US boys could give this game away anymore - but only then the Slovakians woke up.

A power play goal late in the middle period through KHL club Slovan Bratislava's Michal Sersen gave some hope back to the Central Europeans. Again Sersen (54th) and Marcel Hossa (58th) - who also plays in the KHL, for Latvian side Dinamo Riga - forced overtime which stayed scoreless. In the following shootout it was another Slovan forward, Branko Radivojevic, who gave the extra point to the Slovakians.

Germany - Switzerland  2-3 SO (1-0, 0-0, 1-2, 0-0, 0-1)  

For Team Germany the annual Deutschland Cup is their first tournament on home ice after the historic disappointment in February when the clear favourites missed the 2014 Olympics in Sochi against Austria, Italy and the Netherlands in Bietigheim-Bissingen.

For head coach Pat Cortina who was critized heavily after the non-qualification for Sochi, the news before the start of Deutschland Cup couldn't have been much worse. A total of 16 players missed the tournament due to injuries.. These were Jens Baxmann, Frank Hördler, André Rankel, Constantin Braun and Rob Zepp (all players of current DEL champions Eisbären Berlin), Philip Gogulla, Moritz Müller and John Tripp (all players of vice champions Kölner Haie), Kai Hospelt and Nikolai Goc (Adler Mannheim), Christoph Schubert, David Wolf and Jerome Flaake (all Hamburg Freezers),Thomas Greilinger (ERC Ingolstadt), Patrick Reimer (Nürnberg Ice Tigers) and his brother Jochen Reimer (EHC München).

Pat Cortina also saw the good aspects of this series of injuries. "Fortunately our preliminary roster is that big. I want players who are proud to play for Germany and who like to come here and not because they have to." In the three-game four nation tournament the (relatively) new faces in the national team - one of them Augsburg's Daryl Boyle with his national team debut - can recommend themselves for the WC 2014 in Minsk.

After two consecutive losses against their Swiss neigbours - 1-2 and 2-3 during the WC preparation last year in Switzerland - and the Olympic qualifier disaster the Germans wanted to give the right answer. In a full arena Germany concentrated on defense and either a strong Danny aus den Birken - the starting goalie of DEL leaders Kölner Haie - or the goal post (15th) helped the home side. After a won face off Michael Wolf opened the scoring for Germany when he deflected a shot by Thorsten Ankert and used the following rebound that Swiss goalie Daniel Manzato allowed himself. The game continued with defensive Germans and more active Swiss players. With 1:45 to play in the middle period German defender Dennis Reul was checked into the boards behind his team's net and the glass broke. It took the arena staff over 50 (!) minutes to get a replacement which they had to get from the neighbouring bigger Olympic arena in Munich and then to cut live on air in German sports TV Sport1.

After the second period ended, the teams just changed the sides for the third period. A shot by Romain Loeffel in the 43rd minute was deflected by Michale Liniger for the deserved equalizer. With the momentum on their side the Swiss even made it 2-1 just three minutes later through Julien Sprunger who used a won face off. The Germans never stopped fighting and were rewarded with the 2-2 after a distance shot by Frank Mauer (53rd). After a scoreless overtime in which Germany had a two minute power play, Liniger gave the guests from Switzerland the extra point as only scorer in the shootout. For Germany it was the first Deutschland Cup loss against their Swiss neighbours since 2008!

The tournament continues already tomorrow with the following games:

16.15 CET Germany - Slovakia
19.45 CET Switzerland - USA 

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