No derby, that's what Ulm is for

Created: 02/04/2022, 10:00 am

By: Wolfgang Krzizok

For the time being, the fans will have to wait for thrilling derby scenes between Erding (white) and Dorfen.

© Hermann Weingartner

The scheduled derby against Dorfen is cancelled, but the Erding Gladiators are still playing tonight.

Erding/Dorfen – The season in the Bavarian ice hockey league is slowly becoming a farce.

Last weekend five of seven games were canceled, this weekend there are already two - including the relegation round derby between the Erding Gladiators and ESC Dorfen.

"We only have nine field players and no goalkeeper available," explains Dorfen's ice hockey boss Manfred Detterbeck.

But the Gladiators still have a home game today: the game against Ulm is brought forward.

However, the game does not start until 8:30 p.m.

The people of Erding had been looking forward to this derby so much.

"Everything was prepared," says Gladiators spokesman David Whitney.

"In addition, we could have used 50 percent of our capacity for the first time, so we could have let 1,350 spectators into the hall." Whitney rejects the suspicion circulating on social media that the ice pirates "didn't dare".

"Mane Detterbeck and I work together very trustingly and have been in constant contact since Monday." At first it said: "We'll try." The cancellation came on Wednesday.

The ESC had to cancel both games last week because it did not have a playable team due to corona infections and injuries.

"We hadn't trained all week and only went back on the ice this Tuesday," reports Detterbeck.

"Some had to stop after a few minutes because they were feeling so bad." The players with corona damage are still being examined by a cardiologist today.

"We don't let anyone play who hasn't trained and hasn't seen a cardiologist.

The health risk is too great for us," emphasizes Dorfen's ice hockey boss.

"We have to bring the players back little by little."

Detterbeck tells of a player "who has been absent since mid-December because of Corona and is only now starting again".

What's going on with the Ice Pirates at the moment "has nothing to do with training a first team," he says, shaking his head.

It is not possible to use players from 1b, "because this is an independent team that has practically nothing to do with the Bayernliga team".

ESC trainer Franz Steer also spoke to some colleagues who train at a higher level on how to proceed in such situations.

In the professional leagues, recovered players are reintroduced following a precise “return-to-play” program.

"Of course we can't take over this one-to-one, but we can apply it to a large extent," Detterbeck knows.

With the Gladiators, these problems are now behind them, they have everyone on board and would have loved to play the derby. But another solution was found at short notice. Because Pfaffenhofen canceled today's game against Ulm, the two teams, who are now without a game, came to an agreement and agreed on Thursday to bring the game on March 13 forward. Whitney is happy, even though he has had his hands full activating his volunteers, whom he canceled on Wednesday evening.

Can all games be played at all?

"It will be difficult," admits league leader Frank Butz.

"But of course our goal is to catch up on all the games that were canceled.

And we therefore want to stick to the playoffs and playdowns.” As a precaution, however, there will be an appointment with the league spokespersons next week where alternatives will be considered.

Eventually playoffs and playdowns would then be deleted.

"The first person then has the right to climb, the last one gets down," says Butz.

Anyway: "The derbies are being played," announce Detterbeck and Whitney.

If not in the relegation round, then as private games afterwards.

“Derbies are the icing on the cake,” Detterbeck knows and adds with a smile: “We also have a small score to settle.” The Gladiators had recently won 3-0 and 8-4.