For the second time this season, the Pioneers Vorarlberg are heading to Hungary, where the Nygard-Cracks will face FTC-Telekom on Friday before facing Fehervar on Saturday. It is the third meeting against the league newcomers from Budapest, with Fehevar it is already the last duel in the regular season.
Take momentum
After two wins in a row, Macierzynski & Co want to keep the momentum going and score against Ferencvaros for the first time. The previous games have each gone to the league newcomers, and in the first game in the Hungarian capital the home team left the ice with a clear victory. FTC was also able to hijack all three points from Feldkirch.
After a surprisingly good start, head coach Timo Saarikoski’s team is in tenth place in the win2day ICE Hockey League table. The gap to the Pioneers is ten points; the Hungarians have recently lost six times in a row. With Brady Shaw, FTC has one of the best scorers in its own ranks; the Canadian ranks fourth in the league with 42 points (18G, 24A).
Last duel with Fehervar
Less than 24 hours after the game in Budapest, the Pioneers continue in Székesfehérvár. Of the three previous direct duels with Fehervar, two went to the Vorarlbergers, the first time they played in Hungary they celebrated a 4-1 win, as did the home game in December.
As of today, head coach Ted Dent’s team has 48 points, which is equivalent to seventh place in the table. The gap to the direct play-off places is already quite large for the Hungarians, but Hari & Co have very good cards in the fight for the pre-play-off places. The 33-year-old veteran just mentioned is currently the player with the highest points in the Fehervar jersey (9G, 13A).
Statement by Johannes Nygard
PIV head coach Johannes Nygard before the away double in Hungary: “We are satisfied that we were able to show the performance from the Pustertal game against Innsbruck, at least in phases. Especially in the second third, we showed exactly the version of our game that we imagine. The next challenge is now to bring this performance onto the ice consistently in the coming games!”
Böhm before debut
Salzburg loanee Mathias Böhm will make his debut in the Pioneers jersey, Yannik Lebeda and Daniel Woger are still missing due to injury. “Mathias’s way of playing fits us and our identity very well,” said Nygard about the young Viennese.
The team will also be supported on this road trip by a group of fans who will embark on the long journey and keep their fingers crossed live in the halls.
