Before the home game on Sunday against the relegation-threatened EHC Waldkraiburg, ESC coach Hans Tauber jun.
optimistic.
With a win, the Geretsrieder could secure early relegation.
Geretsried – It could have been so easy – at least on paper.
In the games on Friday at EV Pegnitz and on Sunday at home against EHC Waldkraiburg (5:30 p.m.), the Geretsried ice hockey team will face the bottom two of the Bayernliga relegation round.
An ideal opportunity to improve your own points cushion.
But just this week, both clubs pulled the ripcord and fired their coaches as a last measure before the threat of relegation.
In Pegnitz, Michael Breyer took over as player-coach for Petr Kukla, in Waldkraiburg 1b coach Jürgen Lederer replaced the hapless Markus Berwanger, ex-coach of the Tölzer Löwen.
"It's a dangerous weekend for us.
When there is a change of coach, you never know what will happen in the team,” warns Hans Tauber jun.
The EHC has been struggling all season long.
Most recently, they lost twice to Schweinfurt (3:4 and 3:4 after a penalty shoot-out), and they also lost 4-1 to the River Rats in their home game in the relegation round.
In addition, the Geretsrieder won in the preliminary round on November 6th against Waldkraiburg 5:2.
The top scorer for the guests is the Czech Michal Popelka with currently 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists), followed by former DEL striker Christian Neuert with 10 points.
There is also a defensive veteran in Jan Loboda from Slovenia.
Tauber assumes that the former Oberliga club will do everything to prevent the crash in the Landesliga.
"They even organized a fan bus for the trip to Geretsried", the ESC coach knows that the guests will probably get loud support from the stands.
Although he has to do without the sick Benedikt May, the 37-year-old is confident: "We can solve it playfully, because Waldkraiburg is a team that also wants to play."
