The Swiss hang their heads in resignation after defeat to Germany
Keystone
Switzerland’s World Championship ice hockey run came to an end on Thursday after Germany handed them a 1-0 defeat during the quarterfinals.
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Germany now advances to the semifinals to face Russia, who beat Canada. Also in the semifinals, Sweden will face the Czech Republic, both of whom mounted wins against Denmark and Finland, respectively.
Switzerland takes fifth place at the tournament, the best showing since 1998 when they took fourth on home ice during the championships.
The team, ranked 8th at this year’s contest, had come into the tournament strong and were the favourites over Germany, ranked 12th.
Indeed, the Swiss dominated the first period, despite losing forward Martin Plüss to the penalty box for 25 minutes for spearing and misconduct after hitting an opponent in the groin with his stick.
In a gritty period where brute force seemed to rule over finesse, the Swiss still pummeled the German goal keeper, Dennis Endras, with almost twice as many shots as the Germans could fire off in return.
Things went south for the Swiss early in the second period, when, 31 minutes into the game, Philip Gogulla drilled one past Swiss keeper Martin Gerber’s left shoulder to give the Germans the winning goal. By the end of that period, the Swiss had managed to make only seven shots on goal compared to Germany’s 16.
The Swiss can still skate away with an historic win over Canada earlier in the tournament, a first for the Swiss. Early round-robin play was also particularly fruitful for the team, which emerged from their group against Italy, Canada and Latvia undefeated.
That fun fizzled when the top three teams from each of the four groups moved into the qualifying rounds and Norway handed the Swiss a 2-3 loss. Sweden then embarrassed the Swiss with a 5-0 defeat, setting the Helvetians up for Thursday’s defeat against Germany.
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Norway break Swiss run of victories
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However, the Swiss team, who have defeated not only Latvia and Italy but also hockey giants Canada and the Czech Republic in the current championships, are already guaranteed a place in the quarter finals. The Norwegians scored their first goal in the 4th minute, and again in the 7th. Switzerland responded a minute later, but…
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Martin Plüss and Andres Ambühl gave the Swiss team a 2-0 lead after 14 minutes, while keeper Martin Gerber made 30 saves to preserve the victory. It is the fourth consecutive win of the Swiss team at the championship. They beat Latvia, Italy and Canada in the group matches. Saturday’s victory over the Czech Republic…
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The Swiss, who beat Latvia 3-1 on Saturday, are the first team to qualify. They still have to meet Olympic champions Canada to decide which will be the group leader. That game will take place on Wednesday. Despite the convincing score, the Swiss struggled against Italy in the group B match played in front of…
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The 4:1 victory put Switzerland top of their group, which also included Italy and Latvia. Both Switzerland and Canada go forward into the next round. Switzerland, with six points, has an excellent chance of making it on into the quarter finals. Canada, with only three, will find it more difficult. The Swiss coach, Sean Simpson…
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For several decades in the 1900s the tournament, which now includes 16 teams, was incorporated into the Winter Olympic Games. During Switzerland’s glory years, the country won nine medals but never a gold. It has not finished on the podium since 1953.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.