After the convincing 8: 3 away win in Linz and the successful reaction to three defeats, the “eagles” of the EC IDM heat pumps VSV want to show again on Sunday that they can be expected. The blue-whites travel to the Pack-derby to the Merkur ice stadium (start of the game: 12:30 p.m., live in the radio Carinthia ice hockey magazine and on Sporteurope.tv). Villach wants to increase his performance, bring even more determination and commitment to the ice – with the aim of also getting points against the title favorite.
The starting situation:
After four season games (one game less!), The Graz 99ers are three points in the table with 10 points: Three victories and one defeat to Overtime are available for a goal balance of +9. The last success was a scarce 3-2 away win in Klagenfurt, after you had already led 3-0 and almost gave the game out of your hand. The Styrians are currently behind Ljubljana and Salzburg. The EC IDM heat pumps VSV has started the season with two wins, two defeats and one defeat to Overtime, ranks six in the table and is able to show a toraldo from -2. The direct record against the Styrian also promises tension: of the last five direct duels, two went to Villach and three to Graz. However, the last two meetings were both won the Villacher – each narrowly with 2: 1, once of it after penalty shootout. The “eagles” in the Merkur Eisstadion have a truly positive balance: Blau-Weiß won four times from the last five duels in Graz, including impressive canters with 8: 1 and 7: 1-of course before the financially strong era of the Graz, since Jerich has become a patron.
The opponent:
The Graz 99ers will compete with an almost completely renewed squad in the current season. Since Mäzen Jerich started last season, the Styrians have been able to hire well -known players and significantly upgrade their team. Despite the many changes, there are some constants in the squad, such as: Kevin Roy, Marcus Vela, Lukas Haudum, Paul Hubert and the German defender hunter form the backbone of the team. In addition, several actors came up with impressive vita:
An important new addition to the storm is Chris Collins. The Canadian played for the “Adler” for four years and scored exactly 70 hits during this time. Maxim Lagacé, which switched from the Swedish SHL to the 99ers, is also new. The goalkeeper stood by Färjestad between the posts in the past two years and can look back on 20 NHL operations for Tampa Bay, Vegas and Pittsburgh. Nick Bailen ensures additional quality on the defensive. The 35-year-old played in Finland, DEL and the KHL, among others, and was partially used for the Styrians last season. Behind the gang are Harry Lange, who has a KAC past, and Nate Dicasmirro, who himself ran for VSV in 2009/10.
Opponents and Stats to Watch:
Graz’s top scorer is currently Kevin Roy with 2 goals, 5 assists and a total of 7 points with a strong plus/minus rating of +5 after four games. Just behind it is defender Nick Bailen, who shows with 2 goals, 4 templates and a value of +7. Anders Koch, who has so far remained without his own goal, also shines from the defensive, but has so far been established as a reliable preparer. The best Austrian scorer is Paul Huber with 3 goals and 1 assist. Between the posts, newcomers Maxime Lagacé provide convincing values: 91.3 % catch quota, a counterattack of 1.97 and strong 85.6 % opportunities from the slot. Overall, the 99ers present themselves as an enormously offensive team. They generate an average of 4.2 expected goals per game and defensively only allow 1.91 XGA. With a scoring efficiency of 14.62 % and a gathering rate of 51.9 %, the Styrians underline their good early form. The special teams are also a trump card: in the outnumbered you only conceded a goal in nine situations (PK success rate: 88.9 %), in the power play you met twice (33.3 %) on six occasions.
Blue and white stats & facts:
Statistically, the VSV shows a mixed picture after five games. Guus van NES leads the scorer rating with six points (3 g | 3 a) in front of Nikita Scherbak (2 g | 2 a) and Alexander Rauchwald (4 assists). Adam Helewka, Elias Walla and John Hughes follow with three points each. Striking: Scherbak gave up most of the shots with 18 attempts, closely followed by Lindner (17) and Hancock (16). There were recently progress in the special teams: Villach scored twice in the power play against Linz and used both occasions, overall it is now at 3/15 (20 %). However, the quota remains weak – only 7 out of 14 situations were survived harmless (50 %). The Facoff quota is currently 51.56 % and thus remains strong in the league comparison, but Adam Helewka is in charge of 55.02 %. Defensively, Dylan Macpherson in particular convince with a duel rate of 52.4 %, 16 Takeaways as well as 11 hits and Philipp Lindner with 8 blocked shots and 17 hits.
ecvsv.at Image: VSV/Krammer
