Italy's World Cup in the SportNews check

When Italy traveled to the World Cup in Slovakia without some of their key players, few expected they would remain in the top group. Thomas Larkin, Nick Plastino, Luca Frigo, Alex Petan and Alex Frei were among those missing. When the Swiss legionnaires Giovanni Morini and Diego Kostner were also injured during the tournament, the Azzurri's fate actually seemed sealed. But in the last game, Clayton Beddoes' men outgrew themselves and sent Austria into the second division.

The trainer Beddoes only advertised to a limited extent on its own behalf. During the games, the Canadian stood next to the boards almost indifferently, had little influence on the players and - or so it seemed - simply let the bitter defeats pass him by. Attempts to change the lines failed. The game was shockingly unimaginative going forward - when things became dangerous in front of the opponent's goal, it was often a coincidence or an individual action. What also sticks is the insufficient power play: not once did the puck find its way into the goal when there was a majority. Ultimately, you have to give Beddoes credit, because despite the high number of bankruptcies, he kept his morale up until the very last game. He is the first coach who has managed to keep the class after more than ten years. And that's the most important thing. The goalkeeper When the first game of the World Cup against Switzerland was over and Italy lost 0-9, no one could have imagined that Andreas Bernard would be the celebrated hero at the end of the World Cup. Ultimately, the Kalterer player, who is still looking for a club, didn't look the best when conceding a few goals. In the third game against Latvia, the 28-year-old showed his true colors and defused an incredible 62 shots. This was followed by three claps, but they didn't matter too much since the all-important match against Austria was on the last matchday. There, Bernard became a celebrated hero for the Azzurri. Backup Marco De Filippo Roia, who made three appearances and gave Bernard a breather, also did a good job. The AlpsHL delegation Italy was the only country to rely on players from a semi-professional league. Eleven players from the Alps Hockey League (including HCB newcomers Ivan Tauferer and Anthony Bardaro) played in Bratislava and they certainly didn't cut a worse figure than their higher-ranked teammates. In the decisive game against Austria, all three goals were scored within regular time by AlpsHL players. This is also an indication that the “younger brother” of the EBEL has now reached a good level. The South Tyroleans Coach Clayton Beddoes used 16 local cracks at the World Cup. These include four from Val Gardena, two from Vipiteno, two from Kalter, two from Eppan, two from Ritten, two from Bruneck and one from Bolzano and one from Leifer. When you consider that four players are Italian-Canadian and only five come from the rest of Italy, it becomes clear how far South Tyrol is ahead of the other regions when it comes to ice hockey.

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Italy's World Cup in the SportNews check

For the first time since the 2007 World Cup, the Italian ice hockey team managed to stay in class - despite a goal difference of 5:48. SportNews now takes stock and explains who was convincing on the Blue Team and who was less so.

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