Wolf meeting in high school – no play against America

Ice Master Jack

We were outsiders against the Americans in the semifinals in 2013 and the quarterfinals in 2015. We were the favorite against this opponent for the first time on Thursday.

National coach Patrick Fischer (46) explains the situation after the team victory and before the World Cup quarterfinals United States With real life examples: “We passed the high school exam. Now it continues.” When asked he says: Yes, he passed the exam then. When he was a school student, he could join high school only if he passed the entrance exam.

The comparison applies: the team must win against the Swiss team Germany Security backup. It is enough to make a draw after 60 minutes. But achieving a goal against the Germans was not a change of choice for middle school: the last two important games – the 2018 Olympic quarterfinals and the 2021 World Cup quarterfinals – failed. Germany, the enemy. So the game against Germany is a high school test for young people wearing iron shoes and night gear. The winner is (4: 3) after penalties. Reto Ferra cannot be defeated. Nico Hisier And meet Damien Riot.

Andres Ambul (38, first World Cup 2004) scored his third goal (his 24th World Cup goal) in a 1-0 victory over Germany. As the new world record holder (now 122 World Cups), he is in the media spotlight like never before. After the game, he presents information to award-winning Canadian historian Lucas Ackroyd in standard German (Germans), dialect (Swiss) and fluent English.

Now that he has passed the high school exam, the quarterfinals continue into Thursday. If the group winner plays with a fourth person in the other group, who is the favorite? Team winner. The Switzerland.

Andres Ambühl, Reto Berra and Christoph Bertschy celebrate victory over Germany.Image: Keystone

The Swiss get at least theoretically the easiest opponent: the Czech Republic (led by the great Carrie Jalona), Finland or Sweden The size of a shoe can be huge.

All but four players are Americans NHL On pay and bread. Nevertheless, the Swiss clearly excel at all important stats: power play, box play and finishing performance.

The most important plus is the routine: the Swiss bring experience from 554, the Americans only from 137 World Cups in the snow and have not reached the final since the introduction of playoff mode (1992). But it has won bronze five times in the last decade. In 2015, Switzerland won the quarterfinals against the United States (1-3) and in 2013, Switzerland won the semifinals (3-0). Twice scored with Reto Ferra and twice Swiss foreigner. Now they are favorites for the first time.

At the Olympics in Beijing, they lost in the quarterfinals against Finland (only one win in the tournament) and now seven wins in a row, the best attacking team, the best power play, the World Cup team winners for the second time since 2013: this increase in Switzerland in three months is astonishing. According to Patrick Fischer, the team in Helsinki is young and hungry.

Half the team changed for various reasons (injuries, not recommended, no NHL players in Beijing). This can show that our hockey is now internationally competitive.

Patrick Fischer illustrates this development with an example from the real world: the team is young and savage and chases the buck and the enemy to the end. In the past, safety considerations prevailed during a tour. It’s different now. “It simply came to our notice then. We are a wolf pack. The wolves are hunting, and there’s something wrong going backwards. “

Helsinki is already competing in the 8th title for Patrick Fischer. The wizard’s coach, who was mayor at the first World Cup in 2016, has become an attractive gang general. His position, which was initially controversial, is now “confirmed” with the deal until 2024. He became very relaxed, calm, and confident. Medal or defeat in the quarterfinals will not change anything. He says: “It depends on the game now.” Anything can happen there. “You can play the best game and still lose.”

Where he is right, he is right: we can not say it often: Snow hockey Unpredictable game on icy ground – and the wolf pack will slip even after passing the high school exam.

By: Thursday against the United States in the final against Sweden in 2018 (losing after penalties), against Canada in the 2019 quarterfinals (59:59 minutes later, losing in overtime) and 2021 against Germany (equalizing after 59:16 minutes, after penalties). Failure) can lead to a complicated situation.

We’re like hockey’s answer to England’s penalty defeat: The trial began in the semi – final against Germany at the 1990 World Cup. Following that, the English lost by five out of six penalty matches in the title match at the knockout stage.

Let’s leave it at that in hockey.

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