The “eagles” are before their second appearance at Win2day Ice Hockey League-this time it will be off to HK Olimpija Ljubljana (Hala Tivoli, start: 6:00 p.m., live in the radio Carinthia ice hockey magazine and on Sporteurope.tv). The blue-whites can expect an intensive encounter against the capital club!
The starting situation:
At the start of the season, the EC IDM heat pumps VSV was able to cheer for a 4-2 away win at the new league from Budapest. But as gratifying as the victory was, the game still revealed plenty of room for improvement – especially on the defensive. Too often the eagles made their opponents come to dangerous counter -chances and had to rely on the parades of Goalie Cannata in delicate moments. HK Olimpija Ljubljana, on the other hand, made an extremely solid start to the new season: in front of a home crowd, the team prevailed against the newly formed Spusu Vienna Capitals with 8: 1 and also celebrated a complete success. In the table, both teams rank tied after the first round – the current starting situation is therefore still not very meaningful. The most direct duel promises excitement: in the past five meetings, the VSV has won three victories, while two went to the Slovenes. What is striking is the enormous balance – four of these encounters were decided with only one goal difference, once it was two goals difference. These statistics illustrate: When the eagles meet Olimpija, it is usually closely and highly intensive.
The opponent:
HK Olimpija Ljubljana has been going into the fifth season of Win2day Ice Hockey League since it was founded and has developed into a serious and steadily strong opponent during this time. Between the posts, the “green dragons” rely on Lukas Horak, who has been one of the statistically best goalies of the league in the past season, and is considered an absolute backing. On the defensive, TJ Brennan, Clayton Kirichenko and Nathanael Halbert provide three well -known, league -experienced newcomers for a clear upgrade – stability and quality that should give the game of the Slovenes additional depth. The now 36-year-old TJ Brennan recorded a whopping 27 goals and 32 assists for the Red Bulls in 2021/22; As a defender, mind you. Ljubljana is also broad and variable on the offensive. Captain Žiga Pance remains the defining figure and identification figure of the club, while talents like Marcel Mahkovec provide a fresh wind. To do this, the association with Nikolai Meyer, Zack Boychuk and Alex Petan signed three (partly league -known) actors who all have international experience and are intended to form the foundation of the attack lines. Ben Cooper has a trainer on the gang who has plenty of competence and know-how. The Canadian recently worked as an assistant coach in Salzburg for four years, previously he gained valuable experiences as a video and assistant coach in both the NHL and in AHL. Now he wants to bring his handwriting in Ljubljana and set the next development step with the Slovenes, who have also had a financially strong supporter with Alexander Lefebvre since last season.
Opponents to Watch:
As already mentioned, the “Green Dragons” put an exemplary start into the new season. Several players knew how to convince the Slovenes: Ex-eagle Robert Sabolic scored twice, Marcel Mahkovec scored a goal and prepared two more goals, Nikolai Meyer shone with three assists, and newcomer Evan Polei also contributed a double pack. Between the posts, Lukas Horak showed an outstanding performance and ended the game with a catch rate of over 96.6 %. From a statistical point of view, Ljubljana also presented itself extremely stable: 90.5 % controlled zone exit and only 18 gymnastics over the entire course of the game testify to a compact and controlled team performance.
Stats & Facts:
Statistically, there is little spectacular to report on the first encounter of the “eagles”, but some meaningful key figures can be recorded. Blue and white successfully designed 82.67 % of its zone withdrawals and won 53.29 % of his duels against the Hungarians. The strong performance of the line around Nikita Scherbak (1 gate / 1 assist), Elias Wallenta (1 goal / 2 assists) and Nick Hutchison (1 gate), which shaped three of the four blue and white hits together and decisively shaped the VSV offensive game. Joe Cannata showed his class again between the posts: the goalie parried two breakaways and two “Odd-Man-Rushes” and was able to show an impressive catch rate of 93.3 %. Nico Uchan, who his first professional goal was achieved, is also noted. The 18-year-old also showed a committed performance as a trained defender in the storm: he set three hits, blocked a end of the Hungarians and also convinced with two target conquests won.
ecvsv.at Image: VSV/Krammer
