SC Riessersee in the Oberliga Süd has to do without Uli Maurer for around two months.
In the derby against the Starbulls Rosenheim, the veteran is now returning to the ice.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
– He's back.
Uli Maurer took a break from ice hockey for eight weeks, swapped his jersey and stick for an apron and barbecue tongs in order to concentrate fully on his work as "Würschtlmo" around Christmas.
In the Oberliga derby of SC Riessersee on Friday evening at 7.30 p.m. at the Starbulls Rosenheim, the veteran returns to the ice.
The anticipation at Maurer is correspondingly high.
"I'm really happy to be back in the thick of things."
He's not alone in that.
Coach Pat Cortina is also happy to have his leading player on board again, as his team is facing difficult weeks with top games without exception.
One after the other it's against the runners-up from Rosenheim, Höchstadter EC, which is in fifth place directly behind the white-blue team, leader Weiden and again against the HEC.
This is followed by Memmingen (9th), Deggendorf (3rd), again Rosenheim and Weiden and EC Peiting (6th).
Cortina is also aware of the fact that miracles should not be expected from the returnee Maurer.
"He's fit enough to play.
But he will not be able to give us what he is actually capable of.”
"There is no better training than games."
Uli Maurer before his comeback against Rosenheim
The player himself sees it in a similar way. “It just takes a few weeks to get back into the rhythm.
But I don't put any pressure on myself," explains Maurer realistically.
Twice a week he was on the ice before Christmas, once between the years.
During this week he spent every day in the hall, on Wednesday and Thursday he trained with the team, before that he did individual "dry runs".
But all this does not replace the lack of competition practice.
"There's no better training than games," he says.
He wants to get better week by week so that he can be in top form on the ice in time for the “best time of the year”, the playoffs that start in March.
Ryker Killins is also returning
His ice age should first be dossier.
With the Starbulls, Cortina plans him in the fourth row alongside the two youngsters Veit Oswald (18) and Christopher Chyzowski (21), who together are only two years older than old master Maurer.
"He gave me a great row there," says the 37-year-old with a broad grin.
He only loses good words about his two neighbors.
"Veit is one of the most promising talents in Germany.
I'm really happy about every game he's in.
Christopher is definitely someone who owns the future of ice hockey at SCR.”
However, he has no worries about not being able to keep up with his two young neighbors.
"The youngsters run like crazy," says Maurer, who is not exactly known to be a lazy runner himself.
"But sometimes you just have to be in the right position," he adds, laughing as he thinks of his former teammates Florian Vollmer and Stephan Wilhelm.
"It was a difficult time for him.
In the meantime, of course, he also asked himself whether that was the end of his career.”
Pat Cortina on the long-injured Ryker Killins
In addition to Maurer, Ryker Killins will also make his comeback in Rosenheim.
The defender had been diagnosed with rheumatism and arthritis, which put the Canadian out of action for weeks.
"It was a difficult time for him.
In the meantime, of course, he also asked himself whether that was the end of his career," admits Cortina.
Only the long-term injured Felix Linden (fibula fracture) is definitely missing, there is still a question mark over Sebastian Cimmerman and goalie Daniel Allavena, who trained with EHC Red Bull Munich on Thursday.