ESC Dorfen: A slight upswing

Created: 01/10/2023, 13:00

By: Georg Brennauer

Dorfener jubilation: That was rarely the case against Pegnitz on Friday.

© Hermann Weingartner

The ice pirates improved after the Pegnitz bankruptcy in Kempten.

Dorfen – Coach Franz Steer and his ice pirates still have a lot of catching up to do to get back to better times before the playdown round and to ensure they stay up in the league.

At the weekend, the people of Dorfen had to settle for a point from the games against Pegnitz (3:5) and in Kempten (2:3 after extra time).

At least in the game in the Allgäu, the performance barometer was pointing upwards.

Steer said you could build on his team's performance from the second third onwards.

But one problem remains: "We can't score goals." Once his youngster Felix Wiedenhofer's disc went up in front of the goal, and the crossbar saved him from an earlier equalizer.

Steer also thanked the hosts for the problem-free rescheduling of the game due to understaffing.

"We're happy that we finally got two points," said Kempten's coach Harald Waibel.

Steer wasn't in such a good mood on Friday after the defeat against Pegnitz.

He referred to the open Dorfen construction sites.

In the game against Pegnitz he had to forecheck with two center forwards because Christof Hradek was out due to a game penalty.

They acted tactically undisciplined and were usually too far away from the opponent.

"If you don't play body, you can't win," Steer summed up.

The experienced coach emphasized that he was tired of always having to explain defeats with a rhetorical explanation.

But he pointed out that his people train three times a week and have recently played three times a week.

Foreigners often don't come home until midnight.

“Most of them have to go back to work the next day.

If some of them need to catch up in terms of condition, you can't ask them to do an hour's exercise before each training session.” Many had been injured or ill for weeks before the double workload during the holidays.

Steer named Lukas Kirsch, who scored 20 goals last season and two this year, as representative of all those who are still lagging behind their true performance.

One should therefore not break the baton over one or the other player.

Steer: "I wouldn't do that to myself." Ultimately, the coach continued, the necessary luck was lacking even with some post shots.

Pegnitz' new coach Petr Kuka summed up that his team slept through the first third, but showed the right attitude after an urgent wake-up call.

GEORG BRENNAUER