Austria celebrates historic entry into the World Cup: 6-1 win against Latvia!

Austria celebrates historic entry into the World Cup: 6-1 win against Latvia!

Austria's national ice hockey team achieved historic success at the 2025 Ice Hockey World Cup by reaching the quarterfinals. In a crucial game, the team defeated Latvia 6-1 in Stockholm to reach the top eight for the first time in 31 years. The ÖEHV selection showed an impressive performance and the victory brought great joy among the 4,973 spectators in the hall. Team boss Roger Bader and captain Thomas Raffl emphasized their pride in the team's performance and described reaching the quarter-finals as a special milestone for the team.

The goals for Austria were scored by Dominic Zwerger in the 18th minute, Benjamin Baumgartner (24th minute, power play) and Vinzenz Rohrer in the 26th minute. Latvia was able to reduce the deficit in the 29th minute through Eduards Tralmaks, but Austria remained undeterred and further extended their lead in the final third. Thomas Raffl (45th minute) and Dominic Zwerger again (54th minute) made things clear, while Vinzenz Rohrer marked the final result in the 58th minute into an empty goal. This was the last quarter-final for Austria since 1994 in Bolzano.

A look at the tournament

Before the game against Latvia, Austria had already won four games in this tournament. The team defeated Slovakia (2:1 n.P.), France (5:2) and Slovenia (3:2 n.P.). David Kickert proved to be a strong supporter in goal and was named best player in the game against Latvia. The efficiency and straightforwardness of the game are particularly highlighted in the tournament performance so far.

After this success, the anticipation for the quarter-finals is great. The opponent will be announced later in the evening of May 20, 2025. Possible opponents are Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Sweden or Canada. Bader emphasizes that the team goes into the quarterfinals with the goal of winning and expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the players, especially Vinzenz Rohrer, who plays an important role in this tournament.

Historical context and impressive achievements

The path to this success is shaped by the team's recent performances. Austria had previously celebrated a memorable victory against Olympic champion Finland, which is considered an important moment in the history of Austrian ice hockey. In this game the team was able to win 3-2 after a 0-2 deficit. This victory was also a sign of the strength and fighting spirit of the team, which is going into the further duels with great enthusiasm.

Overall, Austria's excellent performance in the 2025 Ice Hockey World Championship shows that the team is ready to prove itself at international level and take advantage of its opportunities. With a talented squad and the confidence gained from victories in the preliminary round and against Latvia, the dream of further success could become a reality.

You can find more information in the reports from Vienna.at, Laola1 and Eishockey.at.