No surprise awaits at the IIHF World Championship! Germany advanced to the final alongside Canada by beating the USA 4-3 in overtime at the Nokia Arena on Saturday.
Frederik Tiffels scored the biggest goal of his career after 7:32. play in overtime. He defeated Montreal Canadiens gem Lane Hutson, then his hard shot gave Casey DeSmith no chance.
Hutson was dropped from the goalscoring list. He was particularly dangerous in extra time before the winning goal, but all his attempts were thwarted.
The Germans are taking part in the IIHF World Finals for the first time in their history.
With 1 min 33 sec to end in regular time, Marcel Noebels forced extra time. Goalie Mathias Niederberger was benched in favor of a sixth fielder and the Germans kept the pressure on around DeSmith’s goal. Her persistence paid off when Noebels jumped on a throw return.
Speaking of tenacity: The Germans showed their strength of character despite a difficult start to the game.
Alex Tuch only needed 71 seconds for the opening goal. The Buffalo Sabers forward received a perfect pass from Drew O’Connor and didn’t miss his chance.
Small forward Rocco Grimaldi followed up minutes later with a hard slap shot.
Before the end of the first period, however, the Germans leveled the game thanks to a power-play goal from Daniel Fischbuch and an effort from Maksymilian Szuber.
Michael Eyssimont restored the American lead in the second period.
The USA and Latvia fight for the bronze medal on Sunday.
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