Preparations for the new season in the Win2day Ice Hockey League are in full swing at the Pioneers Vorarlberg. This week the team from Feldkirch started team training.
In addition to some newcomers, the focus is also on Ramón Schnetzer: the defender played in the spotlight last season and even made the leap into the Austrian World Cup squad.
The Pioneers Vorarlberg are preparing for their fourth season in the Win2day Ice Hockey League; At the start we will go to Linz on September 12th. In the 2023/24 season, the team from Feldkirch, with the quarter -finals, achieved the greatest success to date. In the last season, a weak start of the season prevented a better result than eleven. The team increased continuously, but the move into the pre-playoffs was narrowly denied in the end. “The first games were good, but then we fell into a deep that we didn’t let go. In the second half of the season we finally found each other and showed our potential. It was unfortunately too late, but I am proud that we never gave up and had really good ice hockey towards the end. All in all, it would have been more in it,” recalls Ramón Schnetzer, who already has 353 games in the Win2Day Ice Hockey League has completed.
In his first season, the defender was able to play with the Pioneers with strong performances and even made the leap into the Austrian World Cup squad. The 28-year-old posted a goal and a template in eight World Cup games; The Austria team sensationally moved into the quarter-finals with the Pioneers player. “The fact that I was allowed to be part of the youngest World Cup still seems a little realistic! It was a dream to stand on this stage. I could never have dreamed that the World Cup was like this. I was able to take a lot of experiences and beautiful memories with me,” said Schnetzer, who took a “break” after the title fights and prepared itself specifically for the new season. “I usually spend the summer in Vienna, since my sister, parts of the family and the majority of my friends live there. It was perfect to switch off mentally and get away from ice hockey. This is important, and so I can start the new season with a free head. In addition, I have also had my own off-Ice coach for several years, who knows me well and knows exactly what I have to work on.”
This week the Vorarlbergs started training around Neo head coach Johannes Nygård. The team for the new season also includes seven new imports that want to prove themselves for the first time in Win2day Ice Hockey League. “The start of training is always exciting if you can exchange ideas for the first time. I think that we got quick, dynamic players with a lot of energy. This year too we do not have the most prominent name and not the most experienced team. Many do not come from college or do not yet have much professional experience. Nevertheless, everyone is here for a certain reason, and if we manage to grow together earlier, I think we can achieve a lot. In any case, we can take care of one or the other surprise, ”hoper hopes, who also works meticulously on himself:“ Personally, I want to take a step forward again. There is still so much that I can work on. I have far from exhausted my full potential. At the same time, I want to help our young players and be a good leaders. ”
Ice.Hockey, Image: HCI/Papa Productions
