Skien 2024: Big wins the order of the opening day

Norway got their home World Para Ice Hockey Championships B-Pool started in style with an eye-catching 25-0 victory against France, and it was Germany too that made all the headlines after a huge 23-1 win in the opening match with Great Britain. 

Statement made!

If you are going to open the show, you might as well do it with a bang. Germany well and truly got that memo. One of the pre-tournament favourites served up a performance that must have put the rest of the B-Pool on alert.

Germany set their stall out within the first 15 minutes, finding the net with brutal efficiency to take a 9-0 lead into the first intermission. Inside the opening two minutes, the always-impressive Felix Schrader had his opening two goals of the Championships. And by the time we had reached the end, his tally stood at an eye-watering eight. 

Elsewhere for Germany, Bernhard Hering struck four times, Frank Rennhack three, with the rest of the strikes between six individuals. For Great Britain, their solitary effort came from Gary Farmer. 

For German coach Andreas Pokorny, the result was just part of the overall process. “We took that first step, so we’ll stay focused and then go to the next game. It was a good start though, we didn’t know Great Britain before, but we got a good win and we’ve got the start.”

It’s the task of Peggy Assinck to pick up her charges for their second encounter, and she sees positives to take into their meeting with hosts Norway. “There are positives and things we have been working on that are developing, so it’s set a foundation. We’ll have some good conversations and some good learnings to move into tomorrow in order to keep taking it game by game.”

Happiness for the Hosts

The locals came out. The hosts delivered. 

Within the opening five minutes Norway had a three-goal lead, with Martin Varnes finding the net twice and Ola Oiseth adding a third in a quick opening. And that was just the beginning, as six more goals followed inside the first 15 minutes as Norway simply blew France out of the game. 

The finishes didn’t let up in the second, five following in the space of four minutes after the intermission, Oiseth quickly reaching a treble. By the second intermission, the unanswered tally stood at 17. For the home supporters in attendance, they were being treated. 

France pushed to get themselves on the board before the end, but eight goals more saw the hosts produce the performance of the day. Oiseth would finish with six, Alexander Lyngroth scored five, Varnes with four and both Audun Bakke and Knut Andre Nordstoga got three to round off a B-Pool masterclass.

Player of the Match Martin Hamre was on hand for five assists and wants this to be the start of a push to A-Pool. “It’s nice to get going in front of the home crowd. We need to get good habits, we need to go straight up. We belong in the A-Pool, and we are here to get the gold medal and get back up.”

His coach Ole Eskild Dahlstrom echoed those thoughts, adding: “We had a strong three periods, we kept the intensity up. The 25 we are happy with. Not only scoring 25 but we were pretty good defensively too, so it gives us something to build on for Sweden and Germany.”

Sweden start with the W

Another nation who came into this one was Sweden, and they were made to work for the victory in their first outing in Skien against a dogged Kazakhstan side. 

Sweden’s Peter Nilsson struck once in a Player of the Game performance, and he has eyes on progression into the A-Pool. “We are fighting to get a top-two finish. We have some new young players, so the expectation is to get the finish. But it feels good to get that first win; it always feel good!”

Nilsson gave his nation the lead within the first 15 minutes, and in the second period Robin Meng and a deft flick from Peter Ojala took the tie out of the reach of Kazakhstan. They did get themselves on the board though in the 33rd minute, Almas Akhmetov grabbing what could prove to be an important finish to end things at 3-1. 

What’s coming on Day Two?

We have started with some huge ties, and day two promises even more. Skien will once again play host to three clashes, with Germany opening the action up again against Kazakhstan. Sweden take on France at 15:00, with the day culiminating in a clash between Great Britain and hosts Norway. 

How to Follow?

Watch all of the action across the World Para Ice Hockey Facebook page, and on the Paralympic Games YouTube!