Last weekend was a rough one for EHC Königsbrunn, with overtime losses against both Klostersee and Miesbach. This weekend promises to be even tougher for the Königsbrunn team, as they face the ESC Kempten “Sharks,” currently third in the Bayernliga, at 8 p.m. on Friday at their home arena, the Pharmpur EISARENA. Then, on Sunday, they travel to Schweinfurt to play the ERV Schweinfurt “Mighty Dogs,” with puck drop at 6 p.m.
In the preliminary round, EHC Königsbrunn faced Kempten for the first time on the road, losing 5-6 in overtime. The Sharks proved to be a very strong offensive and tenacious team, consistently creating good scoring opportunities. The Allgäu team’s top scorer is 28-year-old Canadian Kevin Hu, who made an immediate impact in his first season in Kempten. In 25 games played, he has scored 33 goals and provided 25 assists. With Philip Kokoska, Martin Hlozek, and Pascal Dopatka, the Sharks also boast other dangerous forwards, demonstrating good offensive depth. After some initial difficulties, Kempten has established itself among the top teams in the Bayernliga and is capable of challenging any opponent.
On Sunday, it’s top of the table versus second place. EHC Königsbrunn won the first leg in a fast-paced and exciting, evenly matched game. Königsbrunn proved to be the more efficient team against the young and ambitious Schweinfurt side. In the end, the Königsbrunn team probably also had that little bit of luck against the top team from Lower Franconia. The Mighty Dogs’ most potent offensive player is 24-year-old Czech Tomas Cermak, who has racked up 62 points in 24 games and is having a phenomenal season so far. 39-year-old German-Czech Petr Pohl has also impressed with 54 points in 22 games. The young team is very energetic, fast, and competitive. Everything will have to go perfectly in the cauldron of Schweinfurt if they want to take any points from this game.
Nevertheless, EHC coach Bobby Linke remains cautiously optimistic: “We’re facing what is probably the toughest weekend of the regular season. Kempten has incredible offensive power and a high-quality roster, which still boasts very good players, especially in terms of depth. We didn’t perform well in Kempten and deservedly lost. This time, we want to be much more focused and make up for the defeat in the first leg. In the top-of-the-table clash in Schweinfurt, it will be crucial to get off to a good start. The Mighty Dogs have an extremely fast transition game, and we always have to be on our guard to keep an eye on their fast skaters. I’m looking forward to this absolute top match. The weekend comes at the right time for me, as the team underperformed last weekend. These phases happen during the season, but I’m confident that we’ve overcome our slight slump and will approach the final stretch of the regular season with renewed energy and manpower.”
Image material: https://diz-pix.de/
