Just as they had entered the tournament, Team Germany finished off their preliminary round against another tough team in Group B when they played the Russians on Tuesday morning.
Kirill Marchenko kicked things off with two first-period goals and his Russian squad never looked back.
Though Germany was down just 2-0 after 20 minutes, momentum was clearly on the side of Team Russia who had entered the game with a 1-2 record.
A parade to the penalty box, however, helped Russia open the floodgates and take a commanding 5-0 lead with a goal from Grigori Denisenko and two from Pavel Dorofeyev.
The man-advantage was proving to be of little use through the first three games for Russia, but three powerplay goals could be a confidence booster for last year’s bronze-medalists as they move forward.
Which version of Team Russia will appear at the World Juniours seems to vary from year-to-year, but this game was a perfect example of the skill that they have relied on through the years.
Germany, meanwhile, appeared fatigued or at the very least, overwhelmed by their opponents’ speed. Ultimately, the best the Germans could do was spoil Yaroslav Askarov’s shutout bid with Nino Kinder’s goal with just minutes remaining.
While outclassed in regards to skill and depth at virtually every position, Team Germany played valiantly through their four regulation games, and proved that they could be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming years. But before making assumptions, the Germans will have one more test to prove that they truly belong with the world’s best.
Russia currently sits in 3rd place in the Group B standings while they wait for the outcome of Canada vs the Czech Republic, while Germany is set to play Kazakhstan on Thursday, January 2nd in the relegation round.
Photo Credit: russiahockey_en (Twitter)
