After the 4:3 victory after the extension of the Adler Mannheim in mid-October against the ERC Ingolstadt, the team around captain Denis Reul conceded a 0:4 defeat in the Saturn Arena about two months later. Now both teams face each other twice within two days. In our performance check, we look at what has happened since the most recent meeting at the ERCI.
Form: Things are not going really smoothly at the ERC Ingolstadt at the moment. Head coach Doug Shedden’s team lost the last three games after the Olympic break. The balance sheet has been even bleaker since December 30, 2021: the Ingolstadt team was only able to win two of the past nine games. With currently 64 points and an average of 1.56 points, the ERC is in seventh place. The balance sheet is correspondingly balanced, 20 wins face 21 defeats.
Open eyes: After moving from Munich to Ingolstadt, Chris Bourque had some initial difficulties. In the first 17 games of the PENNY DEL 2021/22 season, the now 35-year-old attacker only managed three goals and seven assists – clearly not enough for a striker with such scoring qualities. But things have been going a little better for the left-hand shooter since November. He has recorded nine goals and eleven assists in the past 21 games.
Top shapes: Not Simpson, not Storm or Pietta, no. We turn to attacker Justin Feser. The 29-year-old, who came to Ingolstadt via Krefeld and Bremerhaven, is currently the team’s top scorer with 16 goals and 22 assists. The Canadian’s shooting efficiency is also impressive. Every fifth degree ends up in the opponent’s box. In addition, Feser has already scored four game-winning goals in the current competition.
Faustpfand: The third third is often the third of the panthers. While the opponent’s strength and concentration usually dwindle in the final section, the Ingolstadt team go a step further. They scored 51 goals in the last 20 minutes of regulation time, but conceded just 24 goals on the other side of the ice.
Achilles heel: Ingolstadt rarely emits danger from the blue line. Only 15 of the 136 goals scored so far can be attributed to the defenders. For comparison: The defensive association of the eagles has scored 24 goals to date.
Personal: Attacker Samuel Dubé is still out indefinitely due to a thrombosis. There is also a question mark over the use of Frederik Storm. The 33-year-old was absent from the 3-2 penalty shoot-out defeat against the Krefeld Penguins due to suspected concussion.
Review: Ingolstadt goalkeeper Kevin Reich saved all 32 shots in the 4-0 win over the Adler in mid-December and celebrated one of two shutouts so far.
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