Austria’s men’s national team lost 4-2 to Latvia after a comeback at the end of the Germany Cup. The decision was made in the last minute with an empty net goal.
It was a self-sacrificing performance that Austria’s cracks put on the ice. Despite the significantly shorter regeneration time – Latvia had around eight hours more break – the 2023 bronze medalist was able to stand up to it. The goalkeepers were always the focus on both sides, Latvia recorded a slight surplus of shots on goal with a score of 7:4.
In the second third, the Balts had a clear increase in chances and Florian Vorauer was able to distinguish himself a few times in the red-white-red box. In the 32nd minute, the 25-year-old was finally powerless when the puck landed behind him after a deflected shot. Shortly before the break, Austria pushed for an equalizer, unfortunately without success.
In the 42nd minute, Vinzenz Rohrer found himself in the penalty box for being hit with a stick. Latvia used the majority to make it 2-0. In a fairly open exchange of blows, the Latvians were somewhat lucky to get to the goal in front of the Austrian goal in the 50th minute and increased the score to 3-0. Anyone who thought that the game was decided was wrong at this point.
A double strike from Patrick Söllinger and Peter Schneider within 43 seconds brought them back into the game. 63 seconds before the end of the game, head coach Roger Bader called a timeout and shortly afterwards Florian Vorauer took off the ice. Instead of equalizing, Latvia scored the final score 4-2 into an empty goal.
Germany Cup | Landshut
Latvia : Austria – 4:2 (0:0|1:0|3:2)
Goals: 1:0 Sejejs (32nd), 2:0 Krastenbergs (43rd/PP), 3:0 Indrasis (50th), 3:1 Söllinger (52nd), 3:2 Schneider (53rd), 4:2 Krastenbergs (60th/EN)
eishockey.at Image: City-Press GmbH picture agency
