Neighborhood duel in the Olympic Ice Sports Center: Next Thursday, April 25th, the Germany-Austria international ice hockey game is taking place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
GAP – It was five years ago: the last international ice hockey match took place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on April 13, 2019. At that time, the DEB team, which was trained by ex-Riesserseer coach Toni Söderholm, played against Slovakia. The former world champion was beaten 3-1 after goals from Lean Bergmann, Parker Tuomie and Marcel Noebels in front of 5,845 spectators.
Now it's that time again: Next Thursday, April 25th, the German national team will host Austria at 7 p.m. “It’s like a derby,” says Alexander Höller, SC Riessersee striker. He has to know, after all, he has both citizenships. His father is German and his mother is Austrian. A few weeks ago he extended his contract with Garmisch-Partenkirchen. He was allowed to play for Austria once in his career, against Slovenia.
On Wednesday a prelude to the big “derby” took place on the Zugspitze. Young players from both countries competed. The Austrians were able to prevail in the disciplines of puck juggling and puck stacking.
Walter Rutz, managing director of GaPa Tourismus, who was last in the stadium for the SCR derby against Bad Tölz shortly before Christmas, said: “Ice hockey plays a big role in the region. The Austrian market is very interesting for us.” The mayor of the market town, Elisabeth Koch, adds: “It’s nice when you get the chance to host an international match. You have to use them too.” She is proud that Garmisch-Partenkirchen can now accommodate other top teams with the Scottish national team, which will set up camp in the market during the European Football Championship in June and July, as well as the ice hockey teams from Germany and Austria. From Tuesday to Friday, the DEB troop holds a training camp in the market town.
The request came last August and the date was set at the end of November. “We are expecting 4,500 to 5,000 spectators,” explains SCR branch manager Sebastian Ziener. “The seats are almost all gone. “We have already sold 3,500 tickets.” At the penultimate international match in the market town – on Saturday, February 5, 2003, against Slovenia (2-1 win) – 3,500 spectators came. “It goes without saying that the demand on a weekday is not as great as on the weekend,” says Ziener. “I’m hoping for a big crowd,” says Uli Maurer, who has already played for Germany. “I hope that local players, like Marcus Weber and Maximilian Kastner, will also be there on Thursday and at the World Cup.”
The game serves as a preparatory match for the World Cup in the Czech Republic (May 10th to 26th) and in which Germany goes as runner-up. “There is a lot at stake for the players on Thursday, because some will not receive a ticket for the World Cup because players from other teams that are still playing for the championship in the DEL will be added to the squad,” explains Maurer. SC Riessersee took over the entire organization of the game and the training camp.