Sandra Abstreiter

When Germany qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics — the country's first appearance at the Games since Sochi in 2014 — Sandra Abstreiter was in net. The Freising, Germany-born goaltender, who wears number 30 for the Montréal Victoire, described the qualification as the most significant experience of her career. "It's the most exciting thing I think I've ever been part of," she told InGoal Radio Pro Tips with Sandra Abstreiter: German Olympian Talks Preparation, Inspiration and Mindset . "It is even cooler that we did have to qualify and we did it. 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's path to the PWHL ran through Providence College, where her NCAA career ended with a statement performance. In her final season, she started in the 2021 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals against Wisconsin — the eventual national champions — and made 41 saves in a 3-0 loss. She has since represented Germany at four Women's World Championships (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), and at the 2024 edition was named Top Goaltender after posting a .929 save percentage with one shutout over six games. Her international experience extends back to the junior level, where she was part of the German squad that won silver at the 2015-16 U18 Women's World Championship.

Preparation for the 2025-26 PWHL season and the Olympics led Abstreiter to spend close to two months in Vancouver during the summer. "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 . "Especially this year with me wanting to make another step into the league and with Olympics coming up, I wanted to be as best prepared as possible." She used connections with coaching friends in Vancouver to stay on the ice throughout that period.

Between her club and national team duties, Abstreiter works alongside five goalie partners, including Canadian Olympian Anne-Renee Desbiens. She has described those relationships as collaborative rather than competitive. "It's a friendly exchange. It's never like, 'You're doing it wrong. You should do it how I am doing it,'" 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."

When asked about managing the pressure of high-profile competition, Abstreiter pointed to a straightforward anchor. "My big thing is that hockey is just hockey. A practice, a game, national team, your club, whatever it is, it's still just hockey. And I love hockey," she said Pro Tips with Sandra Abstreiter: German Olympian Talks Preparation, Inspiration and Mindset . "I think that's the most important thing."

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