Now it's official: Italy is relegated to the 1st Division

Coach Tom Pokel hoped for a miracle until the end. He has already done one with HC Bozen, with whom he surprisingly won the Ebel championship, but he was unable to do the second with the national team. Italy is an “elevator team” and has to move from the Top Division to the First Division again after just one year. A single win (2-1 against France) in six defeats, with only six goals scored and at least 25 goals conceded, were not enough to secure relegation. Kazakhstan and Italy will be relegated, while Austria and Slovenia will be able to take part in the A-World Cup next year as promoted teams.

Markus Gander scores for the “Azzurri”

Today in the last preliminary round game in Minsk, Pokel sent the third goalkeeper Caffi and the two strikers Patrick Bona and Nicola Fontanive into the stands. However, ten South Tyroleans were in the squad. Italy had a complete false start and were already behind after just 48 seconds. Gustav Nyquist scored 1-0 for Sweden. The “Azzurri” didn’t let their heads down and equalized in the 10.07 minute. Three days after his 25th birthday, Markus Gander converted a pass from Felicetti to make it 1-1. Shortly before the first third break, Mattias Ekholm brought on. The “Three Crown Team” is once again in the lead. In the middle third, Sweden pulled away to 34.24-37.53 with two goals from Gustav Nyquist (4) and Nicklas Danielsson (1). Jimmie Ericsson scored the final point for the 5-1 victory four minutes before the end of the game.

Italy can go home, the season is now finally over. Tomorrow, on the last matchday of the preliminary round, the pairings for the play-off quarter-finals will be determined. Sweden, Canada, France, Czech Republic, Russia, Belarus and the USA have already qualified, the eighth participant is Finland or Latvia.

Italy - Sweden 1:5 (1:2, 0:2, 0:1)

Italy: Daniel Bellissimo (Andreas Bernard); Alexander Egger, Davide Nicoletti, David Borrelli, Brian Ihnacak, Vincent Rocco, Armin Hofer, Christian Borgatello, Giulio Scandella, Nathan Di Casmirro, Diego Kostner, Daniel Sullivan, Thomas Larkin, Markus Gander, Luca Felicetti, Daniel Tudin, Trevor Johnson, Alex Trivellato, Marco Insam, Anton Bernard, Joachim Ramoser Coach: Tom Pokel

Sweden: Joacim Eriksson (Linus Ullmark), Johan Fransson, Mattias Ekholm, Dick Axelsson, Oscar Moller, Mikael Backlund, Niclas Burstrom, Niclas Andersen, Calle Jarnkrok, Gustav Nyquist, Linus Klasen, Tim Erixon, Erik Gustafsson, Simon Hjalmarsson, Mattias Sjogren, Jimmie Ericsson, Magnus Nygren, Joel Lundqvist, Dennis Rasmussen, Nicklas Danielsson Coach: Par Marts

Gates: 0:1 Gustav Nyquist (0.48), 1:1 Markus Gander (10.07), 1:2 Mattias Ekholm (16.32), 1:3 Gustav Nyquist (34.24), 1:4 Nicklas Danielsson (37.53), 1:5 Jimmie Ericsson (55.55)

The table of the two preliminary round groups before the last match day

Group "A": 1. Sweden 18 points/7 games (21:10) 2. Canada 15/6 (25:11) 3. France 10/6 (21:15) 4. Czech Republic 10/6 (15:14) 5. Slovakia 7/6 (16:18) 6. Norway 7/6 (14:16) 7. Denmark 5/6 (14:23) 8. Italy 3/7 (6:25)

Group "B": 1. Russia 18 points/6 games (29:6) 2. Belarus 12/6 (17:15) 3. USA 11/6 (22:19) 4. Finland 11/7 (18:15) 5. Latvia 9/6 (18:21) 6. Switzerland 7/6 (16:19) 7. Germany 5/6 (9:18) 8. Kazakhstan 2/7 (16:32)

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20, 2014:

12.45 p.m.: Norway-Canada and Germany-USA 16.45 p.m.: Denmark-Slovakia and Latvia-Switzerland 20.45 p.m.: Czech Republic-France and Russia-Belarus

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Now it's official: Italy is relegated to the 1st Division

The Italian ice hockey team failed to stay in the top division. "The "Azzurri" were defeated on Monday in the last preliminary round game of the World Cup against defending champions Sweden with 1:5 goals and are returning to the 1st division after just one year in the A group.

Suggestions

Comments (0)