It was 3: 3 between Schongau and Schweinfurt, the extension began. But then EAS striker Milan Kopecky collapsed. His condition is still critical days later.
Sunday, February 9th: Finally good news from EA Schongau: According to a message on the homepage, Milan Kopecky has woken up from a coma and is on the mend. In the meantime, he was even able to leave the intensive care unit. "He is doing well according to the circumstances and he is in contact with his family and teammates," said the "Mammuts". The EAS once again expressly thanked all first aiders on site as well as the team and the supervisors of the opposing ERV Schweinfurt, who also provided active help.
The game of EAS against Schweinfurt was canceled at 3: 3. It will be made up for on February 28 (8 p.m.).
Thursday, January 30: Four days after the incident, Kopecky's condition is “critical but stable,” said EAS team manager Martin Resch on Thursday. Now time is needed and patience is also required. Due to the seriousness of the incident, it can be assumed that recovery will take a long time.
Kopecky is in the accident clinic in Murnau and there "in the best medical care," says Resch. The EAS officers are in regular contact with the Kopeckys family.
The incident took everyone away from EA Schongau and continues to keep them busy. During the training, many conversations were held with the players "in order to work the whole thing up in a team", reported the team manager. But it is also clear: the relegation round in the Bayernliga continues. On Friday, the "Mammuts" will have an away game against EHC Königsbrunn (8 p.m., Stadion an der Königsallee). "We'll compete," said Resch. One thinks of Kopecky and his family, "but we are also athletes".
The Monday night update
Monday, 6:10 p.m .: The condition of Milan Kopecky has stabilized over the course of the day. The striker of EA Schongau is still in a coma.
In conversation with the “Schongauer Nachrichten”, EAS spokesman Gerhard Siegl praised the teams. "It was exemplary how they dealt with the situation." Both Schweinfurt and Schongau would have helped to safely bring the doctors and paramedics and necessary medical equipment onto the ice. On top of that, they formed a privacy screen around Kopecky. In general, all helpers and emergency workers acted in an exemplary manner. "We can only praise everyone," says Siegl.
Most of the spectators, including many children because of the family day, would also have left the stadium calmly and quickly.
First report in the morning of January 27th
Schongau - And suddenly the sport was forgotten: On Sunday evening, Milan Kopecky, striker for the ice hockey Bavarian league team EA Schongau, collapsed on the ice. The 38-year-old had to be resuscitated. He was hospitalized and put in an artificial coma. There are no new messages on Monday morning either. "The situation is still critical," says EAS team manager Martin Resch. "We are in close contact with the family."
"We pray and keep our fingers crossed"
Resch is on board - like the rest of the team. "We sat in the cabin together for a long time tonight," he says. “We pray and keep our fingers crossed. We are all in shock. "
Kopecky was last out due to a knee injury. In the home game against Schweinfurt he was on ice again on Sunday, with the score of 3: 3 it went into extra time. The Czech collapsed right at the start.
The Schweinfurters also rushed to help
Help was quickly on the way. “The rescue chain worked great, everyone involved did exactly the right thing. Everything happened so quickly, ”says Resch. "We are grateful for that." First aiders also rushed in from the Schweinfurters. “So many have looked after him and us. It was a great job for everyone, ”says Resch. "Now we can only wait."
How the game will be decided athletically is not yet clear. Nobody is currently interested in that.
To person
Milan Kopecky has been playing for Schongau since 2013. At that time, the Czech switched from local rival TSV Peißenberg to the “Mammuts”. Previously, he played in his home country Czech Republic, among other things, in the highest class, the Extraliga. The 38-year-old is "already an institution with the mammoths," it said in a statement from the EAS last summer when Kopecky had extended his contract.