After only five training sessions on ice, the Geretsrieder River Rats will play their first preparation game on Sunday - as the first ice hockey team in the district.
The ESC Geretsried played its last game on March 1st
The new coach Rudi Sternkopf was last on the gang at TSV Peißenberg in 2014.
Newcomer Marek Haloda makes his debut at the match in Buchloe.
Geretsried
- finally ice hockey again!
On March 15th of this year, the Geretsrieder River Rats stood for the last time on the ice.
With the 2: 5 defeat at ESC Dorfen, the Bayern League season was officially over and then also due to the Corona.
The ESC had already bagged the league before.
The new coach's last appearance was even longer: in 2014, Rudi Sternkopf was last on the gang at TSV Peißenberg.
The 53-year-old celebrates his comeback this Sunday, because the Geretsrieder are the first ice hockey team in the district to contest a preparatory game: at 6 p.m. they compete at ESV Buchloe;
Spectators are currently not allowed.
"It will be a training game under competitive conditions," announces the new coach.
After four units on Tölzer Eis so far, Sternkopf wants his protégés to be on the move a lot and have fun with the game.
So far, training has mainly been about getting a feel for the ice again, possibly running in the new skates.
“We also worked on our goalkeepers a bit,” reports the coach.
For the time being, he put the formations together loosely.
“I especially want to see what our young players can do,” Sternkopf emphasizes.
Michael Harrer, who came from EC Bad Tölz / U 20, can storm alongside the veterans Florian Strobl and Klaus Berger.
Home grown Xaver Hochstrasser is used in the second row of attacks on the side of captain Martin Köhler and Benedikt May.
And in defense, Paul Gania is also an ESC youngster.
"He plays alongside Marek Haloda," reports the coach.
The Czech newcomer made a good impression in training: “He is physically fit, has very good hands and always has his head up during the game.” Ondrej Horvath is not yet on the scene: the ESC top scorer who suffered a serious knee injury in January got sick and had an operation, is already training fully again, but is still spared.
The River Rats last dealt with ESV Buchloe in 2019 in the Bayernliga qualifying round.
At that time there was a 10-2 win at home, in Ostallgäu the ESC lost with 1: 6.
Last season, the team around the veterans Michal Petrak and Alexander Krafczyk was in first place in the Landesliga promotion round before the season was canceled and was allowed to move up to the Bayernliga.
Rudi Sternkopf, however, gave little thought to the opponent: "We primarily look at ourselves."
Also read: Ice hockey: River Rats train on ice again
