ITHACA, N.Y. -- When the 2010 IIHF World Championships open up on Friday in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, with the host German squad opening up against the United States, one player on the ice will have ties to Cornell - graduating senior Justin Krueger, who has been named to the German squad for the tournament.

Krueger is just one of two players with Cornell ties to be suiting up during the tournament, which will be played primarily in Cologne and Manheim, Germany. The other, Kiril Gotovets, will play for his native Belarus and will join the Big Red program in the fall of 2010. Germany is coached by former NHL player Uwe Krupp.

The tournament runs May 7 to May 23 and will feature four groups of four teams each. Germany is placed in Group D with Finland, the United States and Denmark, while Belarus will be in Group A with Russia, Slovakia and Kazakhstan. The top three teams in each group will advance to the qualification round, with the four fourth-place teams competing in the relegation round.

The tournament's opening game is slated for VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, the home for soccer club FC Schalke 04. Tournament officials are hoping to break a world record with 76,156 the capacity for the opening game.