The German national ice hockey team narrowly lost the last test match before the Women’s World Cup.
In Utica, New York, there was a 1:2 (0:0, 1:0, 0:1) defeat after a penalty shootout against Switzerland on Monday (April 1, 2024, local time).
Lilli Welcke gave the German team led by goalkeeper Sandra Abstreiter the lead in the 33rd minute, Nicole Vallario (41st) equalized for the Swiss. After the goalless extra time, Lilli Welcke was the only German shooter to score in the penalty shootout.
National coach satisfied
National coach Jeff MacLeod was satisfied despite the defeat. “Obviously there are things we need to continue to work on, but the attitude and effort of the team was really good,” MacLeod said.
The first World Cup opponent in Utica is Denmark on Thursday, followed by games against Japan, Sweden and China.