PressSplit
Thumbs up! Taylor Vause is celebrating his comeback at EC Bad Nauheim on Sunday after a long period of suffering and wants to set an example in difficult times. ARCHIVE © Andreas Chuc Agency
EC Bad Nauheim has had anything but a good start to the season. It’s important not to lose touch with tenth place early on. Comebacker Taylor Vause speaks of “do-or-die.”
Early in the season, second division ice hockey team EC Bad Nauheim has two “six-point games” in front of them. In order to avoid being even double-digit behind tenth place two weeks before the November break, we have to win. If that doesn’t work, the support for coach Adam Mitchell is likely to crumble, for better or worse. Because of the turbulent personnel situation at the start of the season in the seaside town, he (still) has a different credit than many other DEL 2 coaches. In the face of a crisis in results but not in performance, he is trying to stay positive and find solutions. He said his troops had a “great week of training”.
This Friday (7.30 p.m.) there will be the first duel away from home with the Lausitzer Füchsen, before EHC Freiburg visits the Kurpark on Sunday (6.30 p.m.). Then EC striker Taylor Vause will be involved – on day 316 after his cruciate ligament injury including surgery.
Vause comeback – For the Canadian, anticipation outweighs nervousness: »I know that I won’t be the savior, but I hope that I can give the team a little boost. On the one hand with emotionality, on the other hand with playful performance.” The 33-year-old doesn’t want to hear about a grace period: “All games for us are currently do-or-die games. We have to get up in the table. Tim Coffman, who hasn’t trained and won’t play, can’t help at first. “He still needs a little time,” says Mitchell diplomatically. In addition to goalkeeper Niklas Lunemann, who will be in goal in Weißwasser, his men from Cologne will once again be supported by defender Edwin Tropmann. Frankfurt’s Lua Niehus and Hannu Tripcke will also appear in Lausitz.
See you again with Kreutzer – his openness and clear words are well received. Ex-EC coach Christof Kreutzer is in charge of the gang in Weißwasser. Offensively, there is still a problem with the eleventh in the table who are strong in terms of running (six points ahead of the EC). Only ex-Bietigheimer Lewis Zerter-Gossage is flourishing as a top scorer.
Defense, outnumbered ratio (94.3 percent) and goalkeeper are bargaining chips. Last weekend, license keeper Jonas Stettmer, who has been on Bad Nauheim’s minds since the pre-playoff series in the spring, showed his class and recorded a shutout. But he was back in Berlin on Wednesday, celebrating his next shutout with the Eisbären in the Champions League. Canadian Anthony Morrone, who was recently injured, should be back between the posts for the Foxes. Defender Tim Sezemsky is out longer. Striker Tom Knobloch is to be “retrained”.
A tasteful coaching change – Breisgau had its first (surprising) coaching change this season before the game against Landshut last Sunday. The Finnish duo Timo Saarikoski/Sami Lehtinen was released by sports director Peter Salmik. Officially “because of the lack of the hoped-for sporting developments in the past few weeks.” The Wolves started with three wins from the first four games, including the opening 3-1 against Bad Nauheim and a 2-1 in Kassel. Before the split they were only three points behind first place and three ahead of eleven.
Striking: The actual number one goalkeeper Patrik Cervený and the top German defender Calvin Pokorny, two leading wolves and not children of sadness, were parked on the bench or in the stands by Saarikoski for several games. Interim coach Salmik immediately called her up again. There was still nothing to be gained against the EVL at 0:3.
