Germany Avoids Relegation with Thrilling Win Over Kazakhstan

Germany secured their spot in the top pool for next year’s tournament with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Kazakhstan in a relegation game today. Julius Sumpf’s power-play goal early in the third period proved to be the difference-maker, sending the Kazakhs down to Division I-A for 2026.

The win was a crucial one for Germany, who fought back from deficits of 1-0 and 3-1 to tie the game in the second period. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, suffered a heartbreaking defeat after taking a commanding 3-1 lead.

Sumpf’s Heroics Seal Victory

“This is a big win for the whole country,” said Sumpf, who scored the game-winning goal. “We didn’t want to get relegated; our U18s already have, so it was important for us to stay up. It was a shock to be down like that, but we were lucky when we got the 5 on 3. Our power play is really good, so we knew we could come back. We were comfortable going into the third, knowing if we got another chance we could score again.”

The victory marked Germany’s second consecutive triumph over Kazakhstan in a relegation scenario. In 2020, the Germans won a deciding game in a best-of-three series 6-0.

Early Start and Adjustments

Sumpf admitted that the team struggled to adjust to the early start time (11:00) of the game. “We didn’t start well. We were a little sleepy, but our special teams have been good all tournament and they were today as well. It was great for us. We woke up at 6:45 and walked for about 12 minutes. Then we had pasta for breakfast at 8 in the morning, then went to the rink. And once we were there the routine is always the same. But we weren’t our best when the game started at 11, but the more the game went on we got better and better.”

Kazakhstan forward Alexander Kim acknowledged that his team had opportunities to secure the win but ultimately fell short. “I think in every game we could have played better,” Kim said. “We had some good moments against Slovakia, when we tied the game and went to overtime, but we still have a lot of work to do. We have to learn from our mistakes. We have to win Division I and come back and stay here.”

A Back-and-Forth Affair

Kazakhstan opened the scoring early in the first period, with Assanali Ruslanuly firing a shot past Linus Vieillard. However, Germany quickly responded with a goal from Nick Maul just eight seconds later. Nikita Sitnikov restored Kazakhstan’s lead late in the first period, but Germany tied the game again early in the second period thanks to a goal from Maxim Schafer.

Kazakhstan regained the lead with a goal from Artur Gross, but Germany’s power play proved to be the difference-maker. Schafer scored his second goal of the game on a power play, and Edwin Tropmann tied the game shortly after. Sumpf’s power-play goal in the third period sealed the victory for Germany.

The game was a thrilling back-and-forth affair that showcased the passion and determination of both teams. Ultimately, Germany’s resilience and power play prowess proved to be too much for Kazakhstan to overcome.

Stay tuned for more exciting hockey action!