The new coaching team and their predecessor: Florian Engel (left) and Gert Acker (right) were officially introduced by the sporting director of EHC Klostersee, ex-coach Dominik Quinlan. © Stefan Rossmann
Gert Acker and Florian Engel form the new coaching duo at ice hockey club EHC Klostersee.
Grafing – After the "desired" classification in the Ice Hockey Bayernliga is in dry cloths, EHC Klostersee has also clarified the coach question in a short time. On the sidelines of a summer training session, Dominik Quinlan, who has taken over the position of sporting director after seven years on the boards of the first team, presented his two successors. Florian Engel and Gert Acker, a duo from the coaching pool of the youth department, will take over as head coaches for the Red and Whites.
"We have extremely high-quality ice hockey instructors in our own ranks who are very familiar with how things work in our club, what is possible at all and who also know and implement the philosophy at EHC. If such a person is available and ready for it, there is no reason at all to look elsewhere," emphasized Klostersee President Sascha Kaefer, who revealed: "This idea had been buzzing through my head for some time and I thought: This could be something at some point. Now it turned out faster than expected."
For both of them, it is their first coaching position in the senior sector, both as a part-time job. Acker, a 41-year-old project manager in a housing company, and Engel, a 33-year-old secondary school teacher, ended their active careers together after Klostersee withdrew from the Oberliga seven years ago. And then they were jointly responsible for the EHC U20 team, among other things.
It's important to us that the young players in the team develop well, and that they also incorporate more of their own talent.
New coach Gert Acker talks about one of his goals at Bayernliga club EHC Klostersee.
"Independently of each other, we had already thought about whether this task would be an issue in the event of a Bayernliga start," said Engel, who had "relapsed" twice after his career ended. Just over two years ago, in the 2021/22 season, he scored his hat-trick in a 4-1 win in the decisive playoff final against TEV Miesbach to help EHC Klostersee win the Bavarian championship and promotion to the Oberliga Süd.
Gert Acker, who like Engel is also a father of two, added: "After we had discussed this, we agreed: If the board thinks it's good, we'll do it."
While Florian Engel has played together with the majority of the Grafinger team, which is to be kept together as much as possible after a few departures, Gert Acker knows a large part of the players from his work in the EHC junior team, which has been going on for more than a decade. "It's important to us that the young players develop well in the team, and also that we incorporate more of our own talent," said the ex-professional, explaining the goals. "And, of course, that we continue to satisfy the fans and spectators and offer them attractive ice hockey. Just as it was mostly the case last season, despite the lack of success," the two new coaches of the Bayernliga club concluded. Ele