where's the fire

Before the derby in the ice hockey Oberliga Süd against the Tölzer Löwen, SC Riessersee refrained from teasing - almost.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen –

"Karma is a bitch." Means something like: Every action has an inevitable consequence.

That is Pana Christakakis' answer to the question of where SC Riessersee's fight announcements are against the Tölzer Löwen.

The SCR managing director refrains from taunting today's opponent and refers to his Tölzer counterpart.

Ralph Bader, managing director of the Löwen and manager of the SCR for 14 years, had announced in the Tölzer Kurier before the first duel of the season: "I don't want to say anything negative about Garmisch.

If someone is on the ground, you don't step in.” The black and yellow had a strong start to the season, the white and blue, on the other hand, messed up theirs.

But the SCR won a clear 6:1 in Bad Tölz.

That's why Christakakis is reticent.

But don't derbies thrive on just such a rivalry, even beforehand?

Don't they belong?

Where has the fire gone?

Less sizzling but still special

Simon Mayr is one of those who have witnessed a few duels between the SCR and Löwen.

The Riessersee captain also has the impression that the mood in advance is not as sizzling as it used to be.

At the same time, he hopes that this will be the case again in the future.

"Corona has taken a lot of the euphoria out of ice hockey." In addition, both teams did not play in the same league for a long time.

"I think that has to pick up speed again first." Nevertheless, the shine is not completely lost.

Mayr will put on his left equipment first again this Friday and also step onto the ice with his left foot first - it's just his ritual - and knows that then an everyday game awaits him and his team.

"It's still a very special game.

The pressure from outside is enormous.

The players have been talking about the derby against the lions all week, and the anticipation and tension are increasing day by day.

"Even if at the end of the day it's only about three points." Right and wrong.

More than three points are at stake

A win in such a game can add more than three points to the tally, it can give the team a huge boost in confidence and self-esteem for the weeks to come.

Pat Cortina knows that too.

"It's a very important game." The coach sees his job as controlling his players' emotions, keeping them under control, but also releasing them at the right moments.

He likes these duels, says: "Derbies are fun."

Despite a bad week of training, Cortina is not worried

However, he had less fun during training during the week.

He didn't like how his team behaved in units after the chaotic 9:6 win over Landsberg.

"It wasn't an easy week." He didn't like the performance against the Riverkings any more than he had three question marks with Alexander Höller, Lubor Dibelka and Ryker Killins and a failure with Jan-Niklas Peitsch (ill) on his list for today's game Has.

Nevertheless, he is not afraid.

"I'm glad the derby is coming up.

This automatically releases a lot of energy.

If it weren't for a derby, I'd be more concerned.” He's also relaxed when it comes to the goalie position.

It is uncertain whether Daniel Allavena will come from Munich.

"You can also rely on Mike (Michael Boehm, editor's note)."

You don’t play derbies against Bad Tölz, you win them.”

Pana Christakakis, Managing Director of SC Riessersee

But the coach also refrains from making any declarations of war, and Mayr, who once played for the Tölzer team in his youth, does not utter any teasing.

They prefer to do without pithy sayings in advance – almost.

Because it just doesn't work without it.

Christakakis emphasizes at the end: "You don't play derbies against Bad Tölz, you win them." There's a bit of fire there.