KEV fans are celebrating their comeback in the Yayla Arena

Krefeld penguins
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KEV fans are celebrating their comeback in the Yayla Arena

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The north stand will not be as full as it is here on Sunday. But the KEV fans will still provide the necessary support there.
Photo: Lammertz, Thomas (lamm)

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Krefeld On Sunday at the season opening of the Krefeld Penguins, 500 spectators are allowed into the arena. From 4 p.m. it goes against the Düsseldorfer EG. Defender Tom-Eric Bappert is out longer.

For the first time after the last DEL league game of the 2019/20 season against Munich on March 8, 2020, the penguins will finally play again in front of their fans in the Yayla Arena on Sunday. However, due to the corona pandemic, only 500 spectators are allowed in the season opening game against the Düsseldorfer EG. The employees of the office have put together a colorful supporting program (see information), which only ends around 7.30 p.m. Anyone who has to stay at home can follow the action on the Internet free of charge via live stream at www.youtube.com/KrefeldPinguine1936 and on the Pinguine social media pages.

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The anticipation of the fans for the new ice age is particularly great not only because of their comeback in the stands. Because after the unsuccessful pre-season, things can only really improve in terms of sport in view of the newly formed team. The preparatory program is as high-quality as seldom before in the history of the black and yellow DEL. The short trip to Finland came a little too early after only two weeks of ice training. But he showed that the team has the potential to prevent relegation.

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The penguins returned from Finland on Friday afternoon. The entourage initially flew from Helsinki to Munich. After a short stopover in the Bavarian capital, the journey continued to Düsseldorf, where the team landed punctually at 12.50 p.m. Defender Tom-Eric Bappert was able to make the return trip. The 23-year-old defender had a serious upper body injury in the first third of Thursday’s game against Jokerit Helsinki and had to spend the night in a Finnish hospital. According to an initial assessment, it threatens to be out for up to four weeks. It is still unclear whether newcomer Robert Sabolic will be able to work again. The 32-year-old attacker injured his lower body in Wednesday’s game against SaiPa and was therefore unable to play against Helsinki.

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On Friday after his return, Sergey Saveljevs was satisfied with the two appearances in the far north: “After two tough weeks of training, my legs were still heavy. But the team gained respect for two strong opponents. It was also good for our team to see how other systems work and how things go not only from north to south, but also from east to west. The Finns are known for structured ice hockey. “The team has also developed a good cohesion:” Of course we were also shown mistakes and where we still have to improve. But you could already see that we have improved defensively. “

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Even if it is only a test match on Sunday, a duel with the Rhenish arch-rival DEG is always explosive. This is the first real test for the team from the state capital. On Friday evening there was what it was called a “joint training session” with the Iserlohn Roosters in camera on Brehmstrasse. The new forwards Brett Olson and Jerry D’Amigo were not on the ice yet. Olson is still in the USA and will not come to Düsseldorf until the beginning of next week. He won’t see the penguins again until September 10th at the DEL home kick-off against DEG. In contrast, ex-Krefeld rival Niklas Postel will be there on Sunday. D’Amigo is already there, “but he has trained once, so I’m not going to send him into a game right away,” says coach Harold Kreis. It could look different on Sunday: “We’ll see what shape he’s in then.”

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