The last preparatory game is waiting for the blue and whites: On Saturday the “Adler” (Stadthalle Villach, start: 3:30 p.m., live on Sporteurope.tv) the DEL2 club, Starbulls Rosenheim, received for the dress rehearsal before the start of the season.
The starting situation:
The EC IDM heat pumps VSV is faced with the preparation on Saturday afternoon: Head Coach Tray Tuomie and his team want to demonstrate the progress that had been developed so far. After the 6: 3 success against the Croatian Alps representative KHL SISAK, the joy of victory is great, but the coaching team is critical: the outnumbered game in particular did not run round-in three situations two goals had to be accepted-and some tactical requirements have not yet been implemented consistently. Against the Starbulls Rosenheim, it is now important to keep up the intensity, to consolidate the processes and to collect confidence for the upcoming hard tests, such as the start of the season in Budapest and Ljubljana.
The opponent:
The Starbulls Rosenheim go to the new DEL2 season as an established club: In the past season 2024/25, they took fifth place in the table, but divided 1: 4 against the later champion, the Dresden Eislöwen, in the quarter-finals of the playoffs. Historically, the Starbulls are probably among the more successful German clubs: they became German champions in 1982, 1985 and 1989, and they also secured the title in the second division in 1970, 1975 and 1993. For the 2025/26 season, you strengthened your team with some well-known newcomers: Defender Dimitri Mikrogiannakis (NCAA), goalkeeper Cody Porter (Kazakhstan) as well as strikers Scott Feser (DEL2), Jordan Taupert (DEL2) and Lewis Zerter-Gossage (DEL2) and defender Dylan Plouffe (DEL2). In the previous Preseason, the Starbulls showed mixed results: a 3-1 win against Kaufbeuren, a 0: 3 defeat against the EC KAC, a 4: 1 success against the Eisbären Regensburg and a 6-0 win against the Saale Bulls from the Oberliga.
Opponents to Watch:
The Finne Oskar Autio is likely to begin between the posts. The 25-year-old was the outstanding goalkeeper of the DEL2 last season: with a fishing rate of 93.1 %, a counterattack of 2.15 and 15.21 prevented hits over the expectations, he set new standards. Particularly impressive: its quota of over 86.1 % in shots from the most dangerous area, the so -called “low slot”. For the field players, the focus is primarily on captain CJ Stretch. The 36-year-old was in the main round in 2024/25 with 13 goals and 46 templates of Bayern’s top scorers. In addition, he convinced with a strong bully quota of 56.61 %, a fit of 81.1 % and an average of 39 controlled disc campaigns per game. Ex-Pustertal defender Shana Hanna, who now contested his third season in Rosenheim, also knew how to shine: With a plus/minus value of +29, he led his team significantly and was one of the most offensive defenders of the entire league with 13 goals and 24 assists.
Stats & Facts:
Alexander Rauchwald is likely to build on his strong appearances from last year’s playoff quarter-finals against Bolzano. The striker, who will again lead the team as a captain, was already accurate in the ongoing preparation: three goals and just as many assists are available for him. In addition, there is a convincing bully quota of 54.3 % and a duel balance of 52.6 %. Paul Sintschnig is presented in a similarly strong form. So far, the only 16-year-old has collected two goals and two templates, but also underlined his maturity with eight checks, a blocked shot and six disc conquerences-a remarkable all-round performance for his age. In the gate, routiner René Swette has so far delivered a impeccable preparation. In three missions – two of them over the full distance – he only had to accept six goals. Its counterattack is 2.31, the catch rate is excellent 92.41 %. In addition, he prevented almost two more goals than the statistics expected, and captivated with a defense rate of 88.4 % from shots from the slot.
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 3:30 p.m.
EC IDM heat pumps VSV – Starbulls Rosenheim (DEL2)
Stadthalle Villach, Villach (AT)
www.ecvsv.at
