The EC-KAC will play its last away game of an intense October in the ICE Hockey League on Wednesday evening in Bolzano. This month has been a success for the Red Jackets so far: the team consistently scored points in seven games.
However, after six wins in a row – each with just one goal difference – the perfect series was broken last Sunday in the Heidi Horten Arena. Against Olimpija Ljubljana, the KAC lost 3:4 in the penalty shootout after leading three times, but still remained in the race in terms of points.
Defender Jesper Jensen Aabo drew a mixed conclusion: “We are happy that we always scored points, but they weren’t always good games or outstanding performances. We have a good feeling, but we know that we still have to improve – especially in terms of intensity,” said Jensen Aabo to the “Small newspaper“.
Next tasks: Bolzano and Innsbruck
In order to continue the October point series, the KAC also wants to take something countable from the two remaining games – on Wednesday in Bolzano and on Friday at home against Innsbruck. Aabo expects a tough, physical encounter in South Tyrol: “Bolzano has many physically strong players. As always against them, it will be an intense game with playoff character.”
Strong defense is a prerequisite for the title
He also praises the balance of the South Tyroleans, who are one of the strongest teams in the league both offensively and defensively: “They score a lot of goals and are strong on defense at the same time.” Aabo also sees defense as one of his own team’s great strengths: “Defense is one of the areas that we are quite happy with. If you want to play for the title, you need a strong defense.”
With only 29 goals conceded from twelve games, the KAC currently has the second-best defense in the league, just behind Bozen (26). However, the offensive is a cause for concern: with an average of 2.83 goals per game, the KAC is one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league. The power play in particular is a weak point – only 10.2 percent of the power play situations have resulted in a goal so far. In comparison, the value in the previous year was a strong 17.3 percent.
Image: GEPA pictures/ Gintare Karpaviciute
