Sandra Abstreiter

When Germany qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics — the country's first Olympic appearance in women's hockey since Sochi in 2014 — Sandra Abstreiter was in net. For Abstreiter, who grew up in Freising, Germany, and now wears number 30 for the Montréal Victoire of the PWHL, the qualification meant something specific. "It is even cooler that we did have to qualify and we did it," she told InGoal Radio Pro Tips with Sandra Abstreiter: German Olympian Talks Preparation, Inspiration and Mindset . "Because now, all of us that are most likely going to end up going to the Olympics, we did it for ourselves. We put the effort in, we got it done and we now get to go to represent our country at the Olympics."

Abstreiter played college hockey at Providence, and in her final NCAA season helped the Friars qualify for the 2021 NCAA National Tournament. She started the quarterfinal against Wisconsin — that year's eventual national champions — and made 41 saves in a 3-0 loss. Her international career with Germany stretches back to the junior level, where she was part of the German team that earned a silver medal at the 2015-16 U18 Women's World Championship. She has gone on to represent Germany at four senior World Championships (2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024), and at the 2024 Women's World Championships was named Top Goaltender after posting a .929 save percentage and one shutout across six games.

Ahead of the 2025-26 PWHL season and with the Olympics on the horizon, Abstreiter spent close to two months in Vancouver to get ice time that isn't readily available in Germany during the summer months. "At home in Germany, we don't have ice everywhere, especially in the summer," she explained Pro Tips with Sandra Abstreiter: German Olympian Talks Preparation, Inspiration and Mindset . "With me wanting to make another step into the league and with Olympics coming up, I wanted to be as best prepared as possible."

One feature of Abstreiter's position at this stage of her career is the number of goaltending peers around her. Between the Victoire and the German national team, she counts five goalie partners — including Canadian Olympian Anne-Renée Desbiens — and describes the dynamic as a two-way exchange rather than a hierarchy. "It's never criticizing someone. It's more like, 'I think this could work' or 'Have you tried that?'" she said Pro Tips with Sandra Abstreiter: German Olympian Talks Preparation, Inspiration and Mindset . "Everybody respects each other for where we are. None of us is where we are for no reason."

On managing the weight of high-profile competition, Abstreiter returns to a straightforward frame. "My big thing is that hockey is just hockey," she said Pro Tips with Sandra Abstreiter: German Olympian Talks Preparation, Inspiration and Mindset . "A practice, a game, national team, your club, whatever it is, it's still just hockey. And I love hockey."

InGoal Magazine has covered Sandra Abstreiter in two podcast appearances and one InGoal article.