Timo Sticha: Frustration with the lions, fun in the Tölz offspring

Timo Sticha came to the Tölzer Löwen a year ago with great advance laurels.

In the interview, the 18-year-old talks about the time in Bad Tölz, which can probably be classified as a misunderstanding.

Born in Vorarlberg, he is regarded as one of Austria's greatest young talents. He was already playing in the Alps Hockey League at the age of 17 and represented the Austrian U18 national team at the B World Championship.

His record at the Tölzer Löwen reads miserably with five scorer points in 40 games.

On the other hand, things are going brilliantly in the DNL team, with which he has now made it into the final against Iserlohn.

Mr. Sticha, the season has been very ambivalent for you.

Failure with the Tölzer Löwen, super success with the DNL team - what is your conclusion of the season?

Wow, that's a very difficult question.

Not much has worked out for me and the team.

At the Tölzer Löwen I stood all alone in front of the goal three or four times.

I shot the puck at the post or somewhere else.

I haven't played much in the DNL.

The main thing for us there was to have fun again.

It all happened by itself – although we obviously put pressure on ourselves because we really wanted to get promoted.

Do you think the Tölzer Löwen could have done better this season?

The squad was very strong.

We thought we should finish in the top four with these players.

But it just didn't work out.

Why was the worm in there?

Didn't play well?

Or human?

On a personal level, it was a good fit, in character it was a fine team.

There were no quarrels.

But at some point the mood changed.

Everyone asked themselves: No matter what we try, nothing works.

So the failure is inexplicable?

Actually already.

It was very similar for me in Feldkirch in the first half of last season.

That was awful.

The newspapers wrote about the "fall of Feldkirch".

Then we changed our tactics completely - and won 12 or 13 games in a row.

Maybe we could have done that here too.

Maybe it would have helped.

But that's not what we players do.

What you shouldn't forget: We also won against teams like Rosenheim with this system.

Ryan Foster has criticized that you played "youth ice hockey" with the Tölzer Löwen.

How do you see it?

I do not think so.

In general, I didn't understand many of his decisions.

Many older players felt the same way.

You also asked yourself: why don't we change anything?

Why do we always play with the same system, with the same tactics, even though we always lose?

And what about Florian Funk in the DNL?

He lets ice hockey play the way I know it.

I've learned that in two-on-two situations you should make any play.

Ryan, on the other hand, wants you to always play the disc over the gang into the attacking third and run after it.

At home we say “blind ice hockey”.

If you hand over the puck like that in Feldkirch, the coach snaps at you.

That's probably what Ryan meant by "youth hockey".

Please don't get me wrong: this is not meant to be an attack on Ryan.

He just has a different understanding of hockey than I do.

He calls what I play “Czech ice hockey”.

He, on the other hand, lets Canadian ice hockey play.

Do you already have an idea of ​​how to proceed?

It's not fixed yet.

Maybe it goes back to Feldkirch.

They have a first division and third division team.

Or to another team in Austria.

Or in the premier league.

I have a few offers.

I'm going to finish the DNL now and then I'll keep looking.

Most recently you worked as an administrative employee for the community of Feldkirchen.

Doesn't she want to go back there?

No, I want to be a professional ice hockey player.

If I quit hockey, I might go back there.

Working at City Hall was cool.

How does the summer break look like for you?

I'm finishing the DNL season.

Then I won't do anything at home for two weeks.

Then the summer training begins with Dylan Stanley in Feldkirch – he used to play in Rosenheim.

A prognosis for the final against Iserlohn?

I've never played against them.

I just watched as Iserlohn won 8-1 in Tölz in the preliminary round.

That was brutal.

But we won twice away from home.

It will be an exciting finale.

Iserlohn should not be underestimated.

But we shouldn't be underestimated with this squad either.

There is a good chance that we will become champions.