Image: GEPA pictures
While the Black Wings, who started their longest business trip yesterday to Asiago, around eight hours (538 kilometers) away by bus, represent continuity, things are not going smoothly at Villacher SV. The fifth-placed team in the ICE Hockey League pulled the ripcord after five defeats from the last six matches and placed coach Rob Daum, who had led Linz to the second championship title in the club’s history in 2011/12, on leave.
The 65-year-old Canadian had been on the command bridge of the “Adler” since February 5, 2020 (with a ten-month break). Now his assistant Marcel Rodman takes over. “The recent performances were unsatisfactory. We acted quickly to stop the downward trend. The team was not able to identify with Daum’s system,” said VSV sports director Gerald Rauchwald.
In Linz, head coach and sports director Philipp Lukas is absolutely undisputed and certainly the father of the most recent successes. The EHC, which celebrated its seventh home win en suite with the 2-0 win against Bozen, would like to continue its high flight on Friday (7.45 p.m., live ticker on nachrichten.at) at the penultimate Asiago (near Trento, Bassano del Grappa or Vicenza). The first duel of the season went to the Wings 5-2, top scorer Graham Knott entered the shooting list four times on October 1st.
By the way, the Italians will cover the cost of a hotel stay in Asiago, which was one of the conditions for joining the league in 2022. This time the EHC will even stay for two nights, only continuing on to Bruneck on Saturday, where it will also be at 7.45 p.m. (news. at) the HC Pustertal is waiting.
“It will definitely be intense. We have to be disciplined, penalties take energy. But we are capable of mastering this situation,” said Philipp Lukas.
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I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
