For Germany’s ice hockey team, hopes for the first World Cup medal have been dashed. With the 1: 4 (0: 2, 0: 1, 1: 1) against the Czech Republic on Thursday in the quarterfinals at the World Cup in Finland it was over for the German team, who lost their chances with penalties. A year after the semi-final coup in Riga, the selection of national coach Toni Söderholm could not use the tailwind of the strong preliminary round. Like three years ago, the highly efficient Czechs came to a dead end in the quarter-finals, Moritz Seider’s goal in the 54th minute came too late and was not enough

For the Finn, the game was a special reunion with his compatriot Kari Jalonen. The new Czech national coach was once Söderholm’s club coach in Helsinki and later something of a mentor. “It’s nothing personal for both of us,” Söderholm assured. And yet the 44-year-old would have loved to spoil his former teacher’s tournament debut.

But the Czechs, reinforced with nine NHL professionals, also used the second majority coldly. Roman Cervenka completed a fine combination to make it 2-0 (11th) when Düsseldorf striker Daniel Fischbuch was in the penalty box. The Germans had previously had the fewest penalties of all teams in the tournament and thus rarely got themselves into trouble by being outnumbered.

In the middle of the first third there was little to suggest that the German team could improve on the previous record of only four wins in 31 World Cup games against the Czech selection. The revenge for the bitter end three years ago at 1: 5 in the World Cup quarterfinals in Bratislava was a long way off.

Söderholm’s protégés only had chances to score at the end of the first period, attacker Lukas Reichel from the second-rate North American professional league AHL only hit the post (19th). “We have to find our game, trust ourselves a bit more,” warned captain Moritz Müller at Sport1.

But the Czechs wouldn’t allow that. Tactically well adjusted by coach Jalonen, the former ice hockey superpower constricted the German team in phases in its own third. Even the first majority in the middle of the second part of the game was unsuccessful for the DEB selection.

Instead, the next penalty and the next blow to the neck followed. Defender veteran Korbinian Holzer had to leave, David Krejci scored to make it 3-0 (33rd). The fact that polar bear attacker Marcel Noebels failed again shortly afterwards at the post matched the used day of the Germans. “We had too much respect,” admitted young NHL star Seider before the final third.