Bad Tölz - The Tölzer Löwen have a tight schedule: three games in five days;
two of them against teams from the top group.
To kick off this evening, the second in the table from Crimmitschau gives his business card in the RSS arena, on Sunday it's off to the Fourth Kaufbeuren in Allgäu, and on Tuesday - again in front of a home crowd - the Tigers from Bayreuth arrive.
But it's not just the sheer number of games that gives Kevin Gaudet a headache.
The lion trainer ponders the lineup in particular.
Can Lubor play Dibelka after tugging while warming up in Dresden?
"The odds are fifty-fifty," says Gaudet.
Is Tom Horschel's cracked thumb made enough that it can go on the ice?
“Fifty-fifty,” says Gaudet again.
After all, Anton Engel has cured his concussion, and Samir Kharboutli was also sent off by the Augsburg Panthers for the weekend.
“He trained with me during the week.
That was okay, "admits the coach," now he has to show his qualities in the game too. "Of course, he will not be able to replace Dibelka.
Cam Spiro has not yet managed to use 30 minutes. "
Kevin Gaudet, coach of the Tölzer Löwen
Cam Spiro also gets closer to the team level with every ice unit, but a mission would definitely come too early for the fifth contingent player.
"Each of our foreigners has to play for 25 to 30 minutes," demands Gaudet, "Spiro can't do that yet."
How much the ice pirates from Crimmitschau can do it this year surprised even the lion trainer.
West Saxony signed a new coach with Marian Bazany during the summer - after Mario Richer Knall had terminated his contract on a case-by-case basis - but otherwise had little fluctuation in the team.
Ice pirates with an outstanding goalkeeper: Slovenian national goalkeeper Luka Gracnar
They have an outstanding goalkeeping position: Luka Gracnar has 40 international appearances under his belt as a Slovenian national player, including participation in two Olympic Games and three A-World Championships and comes from Austria's first division. “It is the key to success,” says Gaudet, who named last year's ninth to the DEL 2 surprise team. When Bazany gave his star a breather against promoted Selb, it went 2: 3 in the pants.
The Tölzer team recently suffered a similar fate - with 4: 6 it was even a bit more violent.
The defensive is Gaudet's problem child at the moment: “Conceding eleven goals in one weekend is definitely too many.
You won't win any games with that. ”Four of them were blueliners, where the Löwen goalie Marco Wölfl was blocked.
"We have to block better, get in the shots," demands the coach.
Because the Eispiraten are not only strong at the back, but also have strong shooters in the front with Scott Feser (6 goals), Mathieu Lemay (4) and Vincent Schlenker (5).
Also read:
DEL boss Gernot Tripke: "Olympic break would be the worst-case wildcard."
