Kahun and Kälble injured: Germany Cup on the brink!

Kahun and Kälble injured: Germany Cup on the brink!

In the heart of the ice hockey world, everything currently revolves around the Germany Cup, which is taking place in the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. Unfortunately, the news from the German camp is less positive: national ice hockey coach Harold Kreis is struggling with injury-related absences from the team. How Antenna.de reported that both attacker Dominik Kahun from HC Lausanne and defender Lukas Kälble from Adler Mannheim had to withdraw from the tournament with injuries.

The injuries occurred in the opening game against Latvia, where Germany won 4-1. Kahun was instrumental in the first goal when he equalized in the 6th minute. But shortly after his goal, he suffered a wrist injury that forced him to leave the game early. Kälble was removed from the squad as a precautionary measure after he was also injured. Details about the exact nature and severity of the injuries remain unclear.

Replacements and squad problems

With the loss of Colin Ugbekile (Iserlohn Roosters), who was already injured before the start of the tournament, the coaching team doesn't have much leeway. Now, with only seven defenders left, Kreis sees the situation as unideal. Philipp Preto from Ingolstadt has been nominated for the upcoming games against Austria, which will take place on Saturday at 6:45 p.m., and against Slovakia on Sunday at 2:45 p.m.

The players are now under enormous pressure as many Olympic tickets have already been awarded to players from North America. This circumstance increases competition within the German squad, which wants to qualify for the Olympic Games in Milan in February. Ice hockey fans are asking themselves: Who will prevail in this tense situation? The coming games could be crucial, not only for the course of the cup, but also for the Olympic chances of the players concerned.

The game against Latvia

In the first game against Latvia, the Germans showed a respectable performance. Latvia took the lead in the 6th minute through Deniss Smirnovs, but Germany were undeterred. Barely 34 seconds later, the equalizer was achieved by Kahun, who put a pass from Daniel Fischbuch into the goal. The Germans could have extended their lead as the game progressed, but Tim Fleischer and Justin Schütz were unlucky in critical situations, while the Latvian goalkeeper Punnenovs was challenged.

In the 12th minute, Yasin Ehliz made it 2-1 after a long pass from Phillip Sinn. Germany dominated the game, but only scored three goals, while Latvia fought hard. Despite the high intensity and the narrowly missed opportunities, the German team was on the winning track in the end. Now it is important to continue this performance in the coming matches.