The German men’s ice hockey team secured a 4-3 victory over Italy in Bolzano on Wednesday, , in what served as their final tune-up before the start of the Winter Olympics in Milan, and Cortina. Goals from Tobias Rieder, Kai Wissmann, Fabio Wagner, and Yasin Ehliz propelled Germany to the win in front of 3,493 spectators at the Sparkasse Arena.
Germany started strongly, nearly taking the lead in the 2nd minute with a deflected shot from Parker Tuomie. The team consistently pressured the Italian defense, creating opportunities but lacking the final, decisive pass. Goalkeeper Maximilian Franzreb was called upon to make his first save in the 9th minute, denying Matthew Bradley. A penalty against Italy in the 11th minute proved costly, as Tobias Rieder capitalized on a power play opportunity, converting a pass from Daniel Fischbuch to give Germany a 1-0 lead. Just a minute later, Kai Wissmann extended the lead with a long-distance shot, giving Germany a two-goal cushion.
The second period began with an Italian opportunity, but Franzreb handled Alessandro Segafredo’s shot. Dominik Kahun then missed a chance to increase Germany’s lead after a solo effort. Fabio Wagner did, however, find the back of the net in the 25th minute, scoring with a well-placed wrist shot following a pass from Kahun. Germany’s momentum was briefly interrupted as Italy began to mount a response. Dustin Gazley scored for Italy in the 30th minute, capitalizing on a rebound. Gregory Di Tomaso hit the post four minutes later, and Moritz Müller was sent to the penalty box, allowing Tommy Purdeller to score for Italy, reducing the deficit to 3-2 just before the end of the period.
Italy started the third period with another power play opportunity, but Tuomie nearly countered for Germany. Segafredo had a chance to equalize, but Germany regained control and extended their lead through Yasin Ehliz, who scored on a rebound during a power play in the 49th minute. Despite further chances for both sides – including a shot from Marc Michaelis that hit the post – Italy continued to press. Alessandro Segafredo scored with just five seconds remaining, bringing the final score to 4-3.
The victory serves as a positive send-off for Germany as they prepare to compete in Group C at the Olympic Winter Games. Their opening game is scheduled for against Denmark at 9:10 PM local time (3:10 PM ET) at the Santagiulia Arena in Milan.
National coach Harold Kreis acknowledged the team’s strong start and Italy’s subsequent resurgence. “We decided to play in a straight line, to get targets deep into the opponent’s goal. That worked well in the first phase of the game, which was reflected in our goals. Afterwards, the Italians took control of the game, while we looked for rather complicated solutions. We will certainly look at a few decisions from the game today, but in the end the victory is fine for us,” Kreis said.
Striker Tobias Rieder echoed the coach’s sentiment, stating, “It’s generally good to get a win just before a tournament. There are certainly some things that we have to improve before we get started in Milan. Nevertheless, we are leaving here from Bolzano with a good feeling. We have trained intensively and are now looking forward to soaking up the Olympic flair when we arrive tomorrow.”
Defender Kai Wissmann also emphasized the need for simplification in their game plan. “We can be happy with the first third. After that we had to accept too many turnovers. We have to keep our game simpler for the upcoming tasks. We’ve all been looking forward to Milan for a long time, so we’re really looking forward to our arrival in the Olympic Village tomorrow.”
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament is set to begin on with Team Slovakia facing Team Finland and Team Sweden taking on the host nation, Italy. The tournament marks the return of NHL players to the Winter Olympics for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games. All 12 participating teams will play three preliminary round games before advancing to a single-elimination playoff bracket, culminating in the gold medal game on .
Team USA will open their Olympic campaign against Latvia on , followed by matches against Denmark on and Germany on . Team Canada will begin their tournament against Czechia on , then face Switzerland on and France on . Games will be played at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and the Rho Ice Hockey Arena in Milan. All games in the United States will be streamed on Peacock, with preliminary round games also televised on USA Network. In Canada, games will be available on CBC Gem.
The tournament features significant NHL representation, with at least one player from each NHL team participating. The Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning lead the way with nine players each, while the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche each have eight players competing in Milan and Cortina.
