25-26 GAME 12

 PIONEERS 1 - 4 OLIMPIJA

PIV PUT UP A FIGHT BUT FALL TO DRAGONS

MEYER THE ICE-COLD KILLER SENDS THEM HOME WITH AN L

https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/pioneer-history-westward-expansion-timeline 

https://tenor.com/en-GB/view/dank-meme-l-gif-25035332

https://x.com/HKOlimpija/status/1476567256758898698

Me listening to the PIV commentators:

https://gifdb.com/gif/stanley-hudson-sleeping-aog9vkldwhbz2idv.html

Lineup changes

None!

Stars of the game

* Nico Meyer (2 PPGs) - 'eiskalt', according to the otherwise soporific PIV commentators. Killed the game with the 3rd goal, which prompted the 'ice cold killer' type comment. He also spoke very well in his post-game interview. Definitely an OHB interview target for the future...

** Nate Halbert (PPG)  - I continue to be impressed by how offensively-skilled Halbert is. Looking at him, you'd assume he would be a big, beefy stay-at-home defenseman. Instead, he's a big, beefy fly-into-the-OZ defenseman who scores some pretty nice goals!

*** Bine Mašič - We had a lot of chances go begging in the 2nd period and even though none went in, I thought it was really nice to see some proper skill on show from Bine. Last year felt like a bit of a losing battle for him on the top pair, with his shining offensive light dulled accordingly.  He combined this flashier offense tonight with good technical defence. Hopefully he can show this combination more and more this season.

Goals

P1

OLL - Crnović from Gregorc and Meyer. A risky Meyer pass along the blue line finds Gregorc, who hits the bar. It comes back out to Crnović, whose long range shot goes in as Mehle and Boychuk take away the goalie's eyes.

OLL PPG - Halbert from Pance and Polei. Nate Halbert does his best TJ Brennan impression from the opposite circle with a top-left corner finish. 

P2

PIV - Pioneers get their own extended OZ time and as we tire, we ease up on checking. Our coverage ends up way too soft, which gives them the space to strike a good shot to the far post.

P3

OLL 4 on 4 - Meyer from Brennan. Great work by Meyer to keep it in the OZ and then one-two pass with Brennan, before an "eiskalt" (ice-cold)

OLL PPG - Meyer from Brennan. Meyer hits the 5 hole from the top of PIV's right circle.

What I liked to see:

• Meyer showing off his elite skill was lovely!
• Ćosić protecting Horak was admirable. The fight wasn't exactly a heavyweight bout, but it sent the required message.
• Defenders not named TJ Brennan scoring goals! Having those guys chip in is helpful, as in the long run we will need them to support our forwards when it's not going in for those guys. 
• Putting away an inferior opponent more convincingly was a good step in the right direction for us. Nothing like the 6-7 OTL to HCI, thank goodness!
• The commentators mentioning that we have the best PP in the league now. I checked and our PK is 2nd best. 
  
  https://tenor.com/en-GB/search/what-a-time-to-be-alive-gifs

https://www.ice.hockey/stats/teams

What I would like to see: 

• Halbert being more careful - he threw a light punch at a PIV player, who returned the favour with a much heavier punch, dropping Halbert to the floor like a sack of potatoes. I expected a penalty for each of them, but somehow it was only for PIV, who were understandably aggrieved. Don't give it if you can't take it, is what I would say!
• Penalties being assessed more consistently. Meyer stated in his post-game interview that "It's a little hard to read the state of the penalties in the league", which the PIV player later agreed with. Whatever new directive has come down to the refs has made things worse, so the league should go back to the drawing board to shore things up. Otherwise, a potentially very exciting season of hockey will be marred by the zebras.
• A changeup in the PIV commentators - these guys were putting me to sleep! I feel sorry for their wives, having to listen to that all day must be torture!
• Rok Kapel healthy again soon - Kapel took a nasty impact on his knee from Simšič skating into him deep in the OZ. Simšič has been playing better but hasn't exactly been covering himself in glory thus far this season. Obviously, accidents happen, but Kapel was resurgent this season and I really hope it's not over for him thanks to his own teammate.
• More PIV fans - this was embarrassing for PIV. Their ultras seemed to consist of one guy on his own with a drum! They barely managed over 1,000 spectators. I know it's been a tough start to the season, but they seem bound to be in dire straits financially if this continues. Maybe Asiago come back from the dead next season and replace them?

Final thoughts

Not every game has to be some Homeric epic, with twists, turns, betrayals and redemptions. This was a game we should win and which we did win. The end!

25-26 GAMES 10+11

OLIMPIJA 6 - 7 INNSBRUCK (OT)

SHARKS BITE BACK AS DRAGONS SLAIN IN OT

A POINT IS SALVAGED BUT THERE IS MUCH DEFENSIVE WORK TO BE DONE

HCI after conceding a goal (and right before proceeding to score straight away):

https://tenor.com/en-GB/view/finding-nemo-finding-nemo-shark-shark-smell-blood-thats-good-gif-14607801

Lineup changes

Kolin starts with Hebar as backup goalie. Where is Horak?! It's slightly concerning, but hopefully it's just to ensure he's fully rested after being hit by a Linz forward last game.

Kolin must not have been as hurt as I first thought, after the apparent vineyard accident. Clearly they do not trust Hebar to start yet, which is fair enough, as he's still very inexperienced.

The refs tonight:

https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/Oprah-You-Get-A

Please enjoy a meme that ED made and that I wholeheartedly endorse:

Yes, I apologise for praising them in the previous game - look what happened tonight...

Goals

P1

OLL - PPG Boychuk from Brennan and Mašič. If Brennan intended to shoot this wide for a backside rebound, he is a genius. I don't think he did, though. No matter! Boychuk puts the puck in as the goalie wonders where it's gone.

HCI - We lose a DZ faceoff and unfortunately end up with weak coverage on the side that the puck comes out to. The HCI defender, in acres of space, blasts one over Kolin's glove. It shouldn't have to be Quince, who took the faceoff, leaping to try to block the shot. Somebody missed their assignment here.

OLL - Pance from Mahkovec and Brennan. Mahkovec gains the zone after a nice DZ exit pass into the NZ by Brennan. Mahkovec moves up ice and drops the puck behind him for Pance to take over, before firing a partly-screened shot glove side.

HCI - PPG - We are content to leave Owre, one of the league's most dangerous scorers, in calm possession of the puck on the outside of our PK formation. He says, 'thank you very much' and snipes one in through Gregorc's legs (a 'nutmeg' in English, or a 'piške' in Slovene, from what I hear in the school playground!) over Kolin's shoulder at the near post. A goalie connoisseur might say that Kolin dropped into his butterfly stance too quickly, leaving space open for that kind of high shot. That's NHL advice, though - most ICE League players cannot shoot like Owre can. 

P2

OLL - PPG Pance from Mahkovec and Petan. It's another Arsenal-style gorgeous passing goal. This is the type of stuff that would wow you in the NHL, yet we get to witness it before our very eyes. Thank you to the players and Coach Cooper for making it happen. Halbert passes down to Petan, who instantly swings his stick around to give it on to Mahkovec. Mahkovec takes a touch and then swings the opposite way to Petan to find Pance at the back post, while the HCI PK unit's jaws drop to the floor (along with the crowd's).

HCI - off the rush, as Pečo is still announcing our goal, Innsbruck win a 2 on 2 and Kolin fails to stop a reasonably routine shot from our left circle. He gets his arm on it, but the puck finds its way through. His reaction tells you that he thought he should have saved it. A brutal goal to give up, timing-wise, but we have more than enough time to respond in kind.

HCI - PPG - sadly, it is not us who respond, as HCI score on a pretty nifty redirect in front of goal.

P3

OLL - PPG Meyer from Mašič and Quince. Meyer shoots through heavy traffic from distance and the HCI goalie never sees it.

HCI - again, Pečo is finishing his announcement of our goal and HCI go back up and score. This time, we get sucked in like primary school kids chasing the football around as an HCI forward dangles through 3-4 players off the rush. He maintains possession and uses it to make a clever pass into space for another incoming player, who scores on a one-time shot that beats Kolin's blocker.

OLL - PPG Boychuk from Brennan. Our passing in front of net fools their goalie into keeping his pads wide, opening up the 5-hole (through the legs) shot of which Boychuk smartly takes advantage.

HCI - the sharks end up doing something similar, with a 5-hole goal of their own. It's hard to see if Crnović accidentally contributes to this going in, but either way, it's another goal that is not a particularly impressive one to concede. It leaves HCI up 6-5 with 2:26 to go, too.

OLL - Quince from Halbert and Petan. It's a brilliant, sweeping move from Nate Halbert to set up Quince, bravely manning the net-front post, who deflects it low-to-high over the diving goalie's right pad. We equalise with 1:18 remaining.

OT

HCI - PPG - unfortunately, Petan conceded an OZ penalty in the final seconds that HCI delayed until OT by possessing the puck until the end of regulation. As a result, HCI have a PP to start OT and they make use of it. They pass just out of Gregorc's reach and shoot from the top of our left circle, finding the nook in between Kolin's blocker and body to sink the winner.

ED stats section

I took a professional hockey analytics course to try to improve my abilities in this regard over the off-season, but I ended up realising that my strength is not the number-crunching quantitative analysis, but the qualitative, wordy side of things. As a result, I felt my limited efforts would be better spent on what I know I'm good at (I am about to start a professional coaching course to help understand tactics better, to help with this). It was a pleasant surprise, then, when ED sent me the following messages:

As you can see from the great work done by ED above, this was a real outlier game for us. This was partly down to a poor performance by Luka Kolin, but also a poor performance across the board in terms of team defence. Even the NHL has some difficulties with advanced stats, so the distinction between low, medium and high danger may not be that accurate on the league's part, but it's certainly useful to see it set out like ED has done here. Those low danger goals need to go bye-bye, for sure! 

Loss Dissection

• To say this game was a back-and-forth affair doesn't really cover it. 12 goals and 18 penalties went back and forth, punch for punch, before the OT decider. 
• Post-game discourse:
• I was very displeased to hear (in person) and see (on social media) OLL fans blaming Luka Kolin for the entire loss. We have had the luxury of excellent goaltending for so long that I think it's a bad look to just heap everything onto him. Let's find some perspective. When was the last bad OLL goalie performance in recent memory? For me, it's Robin Rahm as injury replacement for Horak in the 23-24 season. We've been rather spoilt with way above average goaltending for years. As such, we need to calm down a bit when one of our goalies, shock horror, has a bad game. The fact that it hasn't happened more often is testament to our players and our goalie coach, Miro Seppanen, who has quietly survived a regime change and thrived throughout my time following the club, from Karhula to AT to Cooper.
• We need to keep criticism constructive here, not destructive. What good does it do to blame him for everything? Let's instead focus on how, as a team, we can limit chances against to help our goalies. ED had a choice quote: "the defence wasn't there, but neither was Kolin". I think that's fairer. 
• Some of you need to try and explore the concept of empathy and think about how you would lead a team of people. "Yeah, it's all your fault, sorry mate" would not have you lasting long in a leadership position, FYI. I highly doubt Coach Cooper is saying "It's all Kolin's and the refs' fault, don't worry boys". As in Stoic philosophy, controlling the controllables is the way forward - how can we help our goalies as much as possible, regardless of how well they are playing?
• Let's try to keep more of that empathetic and constructive mentality in our discourse about the team, because otherwise you will look pretty immature. I realise that's almost impossible in the age of throwaway social media comments, but you've got to try!  
• Penalties. Oh my gosh. 18 penalties in the game is ridiculous - 9 each! Petan's trip in the OZ in the final seconds was the most memorable and most ill-advised, even if I sympathise with him busting a gut to make something happen before OT. It was eerily reminiscent of Ville Leskinen's OZ trip that led to a PPG from HCP that sent us out of the pre-playoffs two years ago. NR pointed out to me that the league changed its criteria for awarding penalties recently, which perhaps explains why today they were giving them out for almost anything. At least the refs kept it even, I suppose - there are no excuses for either side, as they had equal opportunities! We certainly can't complain, having scored four PPGs to HCI's two. 
• Post-game, Coach Cooper said he would "probably not say something because I'll regret it...but I'll just say that it's frustrating...for both teams...it's hard to know what the standard is". Hopefully the refs can recalibrate their decision-making in line with the new criteria because this was not really how a pro game should be called, for either team. He went on to say that he was "most upset" about us "not playing to our standard" rather than the penalties, some of which "were totally preventable". So, he agrees with me on taking accountability even during tough situations, woohoo! Interestingly, the HCI coach said, "the league's gotta figure something out with the way they're calling these penalties...that being said, we know that they're penalties, so...we've got to be more diligent". I think that sums things up well.
• I'll go back to the Seattle Kraken's new head coach, Lane Lambert, for a mini-discussion here. His system is to play defensive, structured hockey. To do this, he keeps his defenders relatively far back to try to deny rush chances against. Coach Cooper's more attacking style requires sending them further forward to pressure, possess and score. How do we deny rush chances against in this system? Well, I have noticed that wingers have been diligently tracking back to cover the activated defenders, notably Meyer and Mahkovec. Judging by this game, though, it is not enough. Improving how we defend and give up chances is key to the future of this team.
• It's really disheartening to concede 7 goals against a poor team like Innsbruck. Clearly, they have improved since we last faced them, but we need to do the same. To ensure we reach automatic playoffs, we need to be dispatching these kinds of teams and competing with the best.  

Bright spots in the darkness

- Marly Quince is an absolute warrior. The amount of net-front punishment he took to score the equaliser that sent us to OT was eye-watering. I respect him and his game so much. 

- Kirichenko was making up for Polei's absence and demolishing people, including a NZ hit that I loved. Finally, we are using our bodies as well as our sticks to defend.

- Salvaging a point was important, as it would have been gut-wrenching to not find that late equaliser and come away empty-handed.

- We scored a lot of goals, which is a positive. 4 PPGs is great on the one hand, as we could only dream of clicking at such an effective rate in previous seasons. On the other hand, though, it speaks to how difficult we found it to make things happen at 5 on 5. Again, it felt like our opposition had figured us out, defending our long-range shots for tip chances well and taking advantage of our Jurgen Klopp-esque high-press/possession system to counter-attack decisively.

Final thoughts

This is one to learn from and move on, I think. It's Wayne Gretzky-era hockey again, with huge amounts of goals. I heard some more casual fans say they really enjoyed this game. Good for them - I hope it brings more fans to watch the games and support the club. I, however, was furious that we let a team like Innsbruck drop 7 goals on us. I hope that's the last time we'll be letting that happen at home this season. RBS next week will be a good opportunity for a bounce-back, hopefully with Horak in the fray once more.

OLIMPIJA 4 - 3 SALZBURG (OT)

DRAGONS BURN BULLS IN OT

COACH COOPER REIGNS VICTORIOUS OVER HIS OLD TEAM

https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/rodeo-bull-cartoon-cowboy

Lineup changes

Hvala Bogu, Horak is starting and everything seems fine with him. Polei also returns, sending Pance back to the 4th line, alongside Beričič and Bukovec.

Stars of the game

* Lukaš Horák - he made some otherworldly, full octopus-mode saves tonight that gave us a chance to win, which we ended up taking. 

** Rok Kapel - scored our opening goal with great anticipation to give us belief that we could climb back into this game and then set up Pance's go-ahead goal with a simply gorgeous pass. 

*** TJ Brennan - overtime fears this man. He skated right up and scored at the start of OT, crushing RBS's dreams, as well as those of the people who ill-advisedly tried for a brisk toilet visit at the end of P3. Don't worry, Maris Bičevskis made me feel that pain before, I learned my lesson!!

Goals

P1

RBS - During a 4-on-4, Petan gets pressured at the blue line and panics as the puck nearly leaves the zone, passing it straight into an RBS player's path. RBS swing this immediately for a 2 on 1. The puck possessor doesn't pass, instead doing a fantastic job of attacking with speed, going wide while patiently waiting for Horak's centre of gravity to fall, before going around his outstretched pad and in. We had been dominating the opening period thus far, so it felt like a hammer-blow to concede this way.

RBS - RBS's first extended OZ possession results in another depressing goal. They run rings around us before the puck rebounds off a block and finds its way to an open back post for the same guy as before to score.

OLL - Kapel from Quince and Kirichenko. Really clever play from Quince, who takes it off the back board and swings a pass around the net into a perfect position for the onrushing Kapel to one-time home. Great anticipation from both Quince and Kapel on this play.

P2

OLL - Mašič from Polei and Petan. Lovely work from Polei and Mašič on this play. Mašič starts and finishes this move by way of Petan and Polei, who perfectly weighted a pass into Mašič's path. Bine does very well to activate so far up the ice, control the pass and find the armpit gap of Atte Tolvanen, the RBS goalie (whose brother plays in the NHL for my favourite team, the Seattle Kraken).

P3

OLL - Pance from Kapel and Kirichenko. Kapel delivers a sensational stretch pass to Pance, who receives it in stride and scores off his own rebound just past the outstretched skate of Tolvanen. He first went for the 5-hole, but deftly picked up the rebound and scored on the second try.

RBS - with 2:12 left, RBS score through heavy traffic. Horak had no chance of seeing it. 

OT

OLL - Brennan from Meyer. Sometimes, a complex sport can look easy. We lose the faceoff, but a wayward RBS pass goes to Nico Meyer, who beautifully sets up a zooming TJ Brennan to go down centre ice, move slightly left and hit the winner in - all in the space of 11s! After all the back-and-forth in the previous three periods, it's over in a click of the fingers! There have been times this season where Brennan has looked like a bit of a cheat code for us; this was certainly another one of those!

Things I liked to see:

• Our passing - there were two real 'wow' passes tonight, both in huge moments - Kapel's stretch to Pance for the go-ahead goal and Meyer's backhand to Brennan for the OT winner. Kapo dol to those two!
• Ćosić making a crunching hit in the NZ - let's keep defending attempted entries to our zone with force (hits) as well as finesse (sticks).
• Mehle showing the confidence to enter the zone and take on defenders
• I continue to believe that Marly Quince is an extremely underrated performer for this team. Coach Cooper seems to agree, as he appears to trust Quince in 'big spots', as Dan Hanzus of Heed the Call would say (an NFL podcast well worth listening to).
• Mašič showing off some of the offensive skill which was his hallmark; we haven't seen that much of it recently, but I hope this is a kickstarter for more.
• Pance scoring is always a highlight. We needed that goal so much and I was so happy to see Pance on the receiving end of Kapel's wonderful pass.

Things I would like to see:

• Fewer turnovers and better rush defence - I understand that turnovers and ensuing rush chances will happen and that the latter are high-danger, but we play so high in the OZ that we keep getting taken advantage of by other teams off the rush on turnovers at the OZ blue line. Coach Cooper may well say 'you have to risk it for the biscuit', or something along those lines, but I am concerned that we keep getting exploited that way. How do you fix that, when it seems to be an in-built flaw in our system?
• Sodja back from injury soon - don't get me wrong, I like Pance and Bukovec a lot, but the 4th line appears to be something of a shadow of itself without Sodja on Beričič's flank. Pance has been dazzling further up the lineup and scored a huge goal today, but I feel we're really missing Sodja's heroic energy on the PK and in general. It's a testament to how effective he is at what he does that it doesn't really feel like the 'real Olimpija' without him out there.

Final thoughts

To all those Austrian fans frenetically commenting "but they won't win the league!!!!" on the posts showing Olimpija top of the table and miles ahead in goals per game, as Die Antwoord would say, "suck on this". Beating the back-to-back-to-back-to-back champions is a big statement win that we can hang with the very best in this league. I am proud of this team. Now let's put PIV in their place on Sunday afternoon.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21976-suck-on-this/ (Don't bother reading this awful review that can't even spell the songs correctly!)

25-26 GAME 9

OLIMPIJA 8 - 4 LINZ

BLACK WINGS CLIPPED AS DRAGONS RETURN TO FORM

LINZ'S DIRTY PLAY PUNISHED WITH ANOTHER 8-GOAL PERFORMANCE

Linz trying to bully us out of this game:

https://tenor.com/en-GB/view/no-spongebob-squarepants-punching-bully-gif-5769171

https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2405400-depicted-as-a-soyjak

My response to the dip in engagement with recent match reports:

To be fair, I haven't helped myself with the evening/morning times I have posted them! https://www.etsy.com/listing/754630855/the-beatings-will-continue-until-moral

Lineup changes

Hebar comes in for Kolin as backup goalie - ZG tells me Kolin cut his hand/arm in a vineyard accident, which is the most Central European thing I've ever heard. It's 1-2 weeks so I wish him a speedy recovery. As my friend said to me, perhaps that will be written into his next contract: no vineyard work during the season!!

Gregorc returns so Ćosić sinks down to 7th D. We have a 4th line as Bukovec rejoins the lineup, too. Pance remains on the 2nd line, as Polei isn't back yet. Same for Mehle on the 1st line with Sabla out. It's a real next-man-up situation, like in the NFL!

Stars of the game

* Žiga Mehle (2G 2A) - Finally, Mehle has his breakout game! I knew he had the potential to do something like this and I knew being stuck on the 4th line or in a reserve spot was not helping him get there. Every cloud has a silver lining, as they say, and Mehle has grabbed his injury-replacement top-6 opportunity with both hands. I hope this will be a big confidence boost that will help him start scoring more points from now on.

** Nico Meyer (1G 3A) - Apart from his usual crucial link play in the offensive zone (OZ), he made some important defensive interventions, too, that really impressed me. Our Danish ninja, silent but deadly once more, had key parts to play in all of our first three goals, setting us up with a comfortable cushion for the rest of the game and extinguishing any worries about a post-unbeaten run slump continuing.

*** The refs - a weird one, but hear me out. Think of how we've been treated at the hands of certain refs in certain games over the past couple of seasons. I was really pleased that these refs were very quick to award penalties for Linz's repeated transgressions. They also escalated to a double minor on a high stick when things were at risk of getting out of hand. The vibes are so different under Coach Cooper - we score tons of goals and have (generally) good refereeing decisions (sometimes). What a sea change!

Goals

P1:

OLL - Mehle from Meyer. Mehle is in perfect net-front position to clear up the rebound from Meyer's shot with a backhand scoop.

OLL - Halbert from Meyer and Mehle. Meyer goes wide and finds Halbert crashing the net (moving further up ice) in space. Halbert fires home high over the BWL goalie's left shoulder. Another assured exhibition of his offensive chops after a relatively shaky start to the season in that regard!

OLL PPG - Meyer from Quince and Brennan. Brennan finds Quince at the goalie's left post. Quince swivels to give it back out to an incoming Meyer on Linz's right circle for the one-time goal.

OLL PPG - Brennan from Boychuk and Quince. Brennan, operating from his usual left circle office, squeezes a shot through the near post with 0.3s left in the period!

P2

OLL - Kapel from Gregorc and Beričič. A beautiful toe-drag-release from Kapel that beats the goalie's glove. 

OLL - Quince from Brennan. Brennan whips a shot that doinks off both posts and Quince is there to unwittingly knee it in from behind a BWL defender.

OLL - Boychuk from Meyer and Mehle. It's great work from Boychuk to win the puck battle on the boards. Mehle then finds Meyer, who goes wide and flings it backhand to Boychuk for the redirect. Linz had just changed their goalie, but it didn't make much of a difference. Flowing, connected attacking with all three forwards in sync. Coach Cooper hockey is well and truly back! 

BWL - Mehle unfortunately breaks his stick while attempting a neutral zone (NZ) pass. Linz go 3 on 2 into our defensive zone (DZ). Horak makes two saves but the third shot attempt goes in. Crnović is the one who missed a clearing opportunity right before the third shot. Anyone got Bohinc's number in Jesenice? 😂 Linz with the reverse-burger goal during our Smash Attack. As I discussed with my friends next to me, surely this means the Linz fans should get a free burger?! It would up the jeopardy considerably! 

OLL - Mehle from Brennan. Brennan breaks up a BWL attack in our DZ. Mehle beats a BWL player to the puck, fights through the NZ, weaves out and in and fires a powerful shot into the back of the net from distance. Flashscore didn't credit Brennan for the assist, but they also got other stuff wrong tonight, so I will add it for him.

P3

BWL - In the last 2.5 minutes, we switch off and let Linz sweep into our DZ, culminating in an impressive shot from our right circle that beats Hebar's blocker.

BWL - A pretty stretch pass catches us slacking and St Amant does what he used to do and zooms around Hebar for an easy score. I'm a Pyotr Kochetkov enjoyer (Hurricanes goalie in the NHL famed for wacky poke-checks (when a goalie uses their stick to disrupt an incoming forward)), admittedly, but maybe a proactive poke-check could have helped here?

BWL - A standard shot from just inside the blue line goes in. It looked like Hebar was screened.

Near Misses

P1

619 - An insane diving glove save from the BWL goalie, so insane that it needs to be video reviewed to see if it went over the line.

P3

1200 - Mehle misses the puck on a chance at the back post!

619 - Another 619 near-miss (where's Rey Mysterio?!) and another back post chance - this time it's Pance who can't take advantage of it.

What I liked to see:

• I think we all got a bit worried in the AVS-VIC-HCB stretch of games, where we very nearly lost to Fehervar and then lost convincingly to Vienna and Bolzano. Let me give you a quote below:
• As the Seattle Kraken's new head coach Lane Lambert said last night, "We feel like if we play like that, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win. Are we going to win all the time? No, but if we play like that, we give ourselves a chance to win...It’s important for our team to understand that what we’re doing is a formula to have success,” Lambert said. “You’re not always going to win, and that’s the way it goes. The outcome was great, but had it been slightly different, I wouldn’t have been unhappy with our hockey team’s effort.” (https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/12/kraken-win-over-golden-knights-overtime-matty-beniers/). 
• I really like this quote (which has gone in my bank of NHL coach comments that I use to help me think about my role as 'coach' of my class at school) because it helps me explain my worries and my relief in our recent games. My worries in that three game stretch were down to our formula for success - namely, fluid passing and puck possession - basically disappearing. The Fehervar penalty win was exhilarating, but I (and I'm sure Coach Cooper) was not happy with the way we played overall. Then, we lost the next two. This game was a big test to see if we could regain our formula for success - we passed with flying colours. Now, let's repeat the process vs HCI tonight.
• As above, I loved to see Mehle explode for 4 points. Obviously, as a teacher, I will have an internal bias towards the promotion of developing young talent. I do think it remains an extremely important thing for the club to do to ensure its sustainability and that it's fulfilling its tacit duty as the only serious hockey club left in Slovenia to promote Slovene talent when it deserves it. Mehle deserves it.
• I did enjoy that Linz's few fans took the 'Auf Wiedersehen' chants very well. It's always nice to see people remember that, as Ilya Bryzgalov says, "Is only game, why you have to be mad?".

What I would like to see:

• This is greedy of me, admittedly, but I would like to see us kick on and score a full 10 goals at some point this season. We were up 8 by the end of the 2nd period, so it was very doable. I understand relaxing a bit at that point, but still - let's see it happen!
• In a similar vein, switching off in P3 can have its downsides. In the last 2.5 minutes of the game, Linz scored three goals with very little contesting from our defence. If Kolin had been in instead of Hebar, one or two of those may have been saved, but it wasn't all the young goalie's fault. Let's do the hockey saying and 'play the full 60', fellas.
• More Žiga Mehle! He's earned a juicy powerplay spot by now, surely. Keep him in the top-6 and let him rip! 
• Horak healthy. He took a fly-by hit from a BWL forward and looked like he was in considerable pain. I hope it was just a precaution that Gal Hebar replaced him for the 3rd period.
• Kolin healthy. I am really not anti-Hebar family, but, like Tian, I don't think Gal is ready for regular ICE League action just yet. He made some solid saves to start but, as above, Kolin would have done better with the final three goals.

Final thoughts

Having Sabla and Polei out is quite a big deal for our top-6, yet we dropped another 8-goal bomb regardless. Returning to flowing offense was key for me today and we did that with aplomb. Switching off entirely in the final couple of minutes wasn't so good, but it's a learning moment for the rest of the season.

The main thing, for me, is to marvel at how far Linz have fallen from last season to this season. In my previous two seasons watching Olimpija, they have always been a fierce opponent for us. Their stars, namely Lebler, St Amant and Knott, are still there - but the team looks awful. They didn't have their starting goalie tonight, granted, but it wasn't the goalie that was the main issue. There was barely any connected teamplay at all for the first couple of periods. I'm not a big 'fire the coach' kind of guy, but if I was a Linz fan I would be worried about where my team is headed. Even more so, since this offensive degeneration has coincided with a massive uptick in dirty play, judging by this game. Over and over, they committed egregious penalties and I was really pleased when they finally received a double minor near the end of the 1st period as a warning shot from the refs.

Thankfully, we are on the right side of the equation here. Let's dispatch Innsbruck tonight and rest up for a monster game against Red Bull Salzburg next Friday.

P.S.

Coverage today was sponsored by ED, who came in clutch with a blue Cedevita just when I was resigning myself to a game without one due to all the students in the West Stand making the queues massive. Najlepša hvala, Gospod! I really enjoyed meeting him in person for the first time after lots of high-brow hockey messages back and forth. It remains extremely cool to meet my regular readers and to see a tangible OHB community start to form. Thanks to everyone I've met so far and please don't be shy if you recognise me at a game, say hello!

P.P.S.

I had the unfortunate luck to sit next to a very rowdy drunk man this game. After scaring off a young family with his constant slurred and sweary abuse, he turned to me and said "You don't look robust enough to be a hockey fan" and then repeated himself with "you don't look tough enough to be a hockey fan". Getting unsolicited comments on my body from a drunk man? Now I know how ladies feel! I asked him what a hockey fan is meant to look like but, as you might imagine, didn't receive a tremendously nuanced response. I showed him the OHB Instagram account, but I think he had transcended any ability to read by that point.

Of course, I am tempted to write some unpleasant comments about him here, but I will instead magnanimously focus on the main takeaway. The vast majority of fans do enjoy the games responsibly. However, if you see your friend is going a bit too far, please have a word with them. I can handle some impolite comments, but I was really sad to see a young family in distress over one guy who hasn't worked out his alcohol tolerance yet, despite being 40+. This could put them off hockey for good, right at a time when we should be building our fanbase for the long-term. If you want to go extra hard, go nearer the Ledeni Zmaji, who are fully capable of policing themselves. We're lucky to have ultras who are responsibly-behaved! 

25-26 GAME 8

BOLZANO 4 - 2 OLIMPIJA

DRAGONS OUTFOXED IN BRUNICO

GOOD START UNDONE BY ILL-DISCIPLINE

https://www.tiktok.com/@arcticfoxdaily/video/7167449025132760363

Lineup changes

I have it on great authority that Sabla is out injured for 4 weeks with a different injury, unfortunately. Brennan is Captain in his absence. Polei and Gregorc were out to heal up after some brutal shot blocks, thankfully neither suffered fractures. Sodja remains out.

The original 1st and 2nd lines are back in place after a swap last game. Pance moves up to the 2nd line to replace Polei, while Mehle is back on line 1 with Boychuk and Meyer. There is no 4th line this game, as Bohinc is listed alongside Beričič and Kumanović. Is Bukovec out as well?

Goals

Firstly, thanks to ED for describing the 1st period goals to me when the stream was down. Much appreciated! I have since watched replays of them.

P1

OLL - Beričič shorthanded goal!!! Beričič enters the zone with speed and purpose after some neutral zone deception sends a HCB PP forward past him. There is a 2-on-1 opportunity with Halbert, but he just rifles it glove side and in. 

OLL - Pance from Petan! Petan swoops behind the net and flings it back into the slot for an approaching Žiga Pance, who scores glove side. 

P2

HCB - An unforunate and unnecessary trip by Pance results in a PPG. Beričič lays out for an impressive shot block, but sadly the puck falls right into an oncoming HCB F, who whacks it in over Horak's glove. 

HCB - One minute after the pad save near miss described below, Brennan turns it over deep in our DZ and HCB strike with a pass to a wide open back post. 

HCB - Fair play, Foxes - this was a gorgeous fast move as Crnović and Ćosić get split and the wonderful pass is greeted with another glove-high shot that goes in.

P3

HCB - Good PK stats can trick you sometimes, as we kill off a penalty just to concede soon after. The puck goes through Simšič in the slot and right onto the proverbial plate of a Bolzano forward, who half-lobs it over Horak's blocker.

Near-misses

P2

Shortly after their first goal (and shortly before their second), Horak saves a rush chance with the puck under his pad - but his retreat takes the puck dangerously close to the goal line. Luckily, he just about keeps it out. If it had sneaked anywhere else, it would probably have unwittingly been kicked in.

P3

At 4-2, Mahkovec hits the post from the HCB right circle and Pance is there to accept the rebound. Agonisingly, he sends it wide, with the net gaping open. This was one we had to score to have a chance to get back into the game.

Loss Dissection

• Bolzano absolutely dominated possession in P2+3, effectively beating us at our own game (remember, Halbert said in a mid-game interview that we want to control and play the game in the opposition's zone). In this way, they are a good model for us to follow - they essentially played a better version of what we want to play. They are us, but a bit further along in the process.
• This possession domination drained us of energy in a game where we only had three forward lines. 
• To compound this, we conceded 7 penalties. These allowed Bolzano to take a hold of the game after going down 0-2, a hold that they did not relinquish. Some of these were marginal calls, but others are ones where we have to know better. I don't think Halbert should have been penalised for roughing, for instance, but equally, his hand should probably not be making contact with another player's face on purpose, even if they are trying to reverse hit him. TJ Brennan exhibited the old Olimpija tendency to get rattled in feisty games, cross-checking a HCB forward to the face for approaching him a little too closely. This killed off our chances of equalising, as it was a 2 minute penalty with just over 2 to go. This kind of ill-discipline consistently set us back and ensured we couldn't regain a footing in the game. It was reminiscent of the Euro 2020 football finals between England and Italy, a game in which the Italians also rage-baited England into silly mistakes that prevented them from creating any rhythm or flow in their attacking game.
• Bolzano packed the net-front area, defending it powerfully and ensuring, like AVS and VIC did, that they kept us to the outside. The Polei freight train being back at the station for repairs made this all the more effective.
• If we want to come back into these kinds of games, we need to be scoring on the 32s long 5 on 3 PP and we need to be putting away wide open chances like Pance's.

Bright spots in the darkness

• Beričič scoring a shorthanded goal - a second shorty for the team in quick succession! 
• Kirichenko's physicality - I loved seeing him knocking guys off their feet. I hope it encourages others to get involved.
• Crnović had some good sequences defensively and performed a trademark weaving carry-in near the end. Why not unleash him a bit more? You may as well, if you are committed to playing him over Bohinc.
• PK did well to limit the damage to 1/7 HCB PPs for 86%.
• We hung with a really good team despite injuries. I am confident that next time we can keep it cleaner and closer. 
• Mašič seemed to be playing as a forward at one point, with Brennan and Bohinc also on the ice. This will have made NR (one of the Roundtable Boys) very happy, as he had called for this positional transition last season after highlighting Mašič's defensive frailties! 😆
• I found it funny that Coach Cooper wasn't hiding his tactics sheets from the broadcast cameras. He needs to follow the NFL coaches like San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan and hide them/his mouth a bit more carefully in future!

https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2021/06/24/inside-the-49ers-will-kyle-shanahan-eventually-give-mike-mcdaniel-play-calling-role/

Final thoughts 

Ill-discipline pushed us out of this game as much as Bolzano's excellent poise, possession and pressure. Give HCB, or any half-decent team, 7 PPs and you will not win. I don't accept that these were 'BS calls', or whatever - we have control over how we act on the ice and we did not exercise that control sufficiently tonight. As I would tell my students after an overly-eventful breaktime, 'you've got to make better decisions out there'. Don't give the refs the opportunity to blow the whistle. Instead of all these flagrant, illegal crosschecks that draw penalties, how about you follow Kirichenko's example and legally knock someone over with a big, clean hit? You're allowed to do it! It helps set the tone and close the skill gap that can exist between forwards and defensemen! Kirichenko's the only one doing it! After such a positive start to the season, let's not revert to old Olimpija, getting bullied out of physical games. 

They only scored on one of those 7 PPs, but the intensity of surviving them over and over again took away our 5-on-5 energy, as did only running 3 forward lines. Where was Bukovec? We could have used a full set of lines tonight. In any case, we have a few days to rest up and regroup before Friday. It would be an important statement of intent to continue challenging for the pinnacle of the league this season to beat Linz, so let's get to it!

Finally, it was another clanger for Sport Europe TV, as 13 mins of the 1st period were not broadcast to fans. Luckily I had the Valorant Champions Paris finals to watch, even if I ended up heartbroken as Fnatic's reverse sweep attempt vs NRG fell short, with Boaster in floods of tears as he walked off into Yin-Su's arms. The beauty of eSports aside, Sport Europe TV has been a disaster so far and I hope they can sort things out. It's getting pretty depressing to deal with so often.

P.S. I thank ZG and ED for sending me information that Tian Hebar and Rožle Bohinc have been loaned to Jesenice in the Alps League. While I am happy that both will get more playing time somewhere (Hebar apparently was getting 1st pair minutes), I am still disappointed that Bohinc has been sidelined by Coach Cooper. He was the most impressive Olimpija defender for me last season and a huge part of my excitement for this season was to watch him continue to develop into what I think he can be - a towering, dominant defender with a booming shot. I hope this is not the last we see of him this season. Hebar, on the other hand, could definitely do with some more time in the defensive oven before returning. I do still think he has a lot to offer this team, too, he's just a bit earlier in the development process than Bohinc, mainly due to a key factor out of their control - body type.

25-26 GAME 7

VIENNA 3 - 1 OLIMPIJA

THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

CAPITALS HAND DRAGONS FIRST LOSS 

From MemeDroid. I don't know if Beyblade reached Slovenia back in the day, but it was one of my favourite Primary school breaktime activities (that and pretending to understand Yu-Gi-Oh).

Lineup changes

Worryingly, Sabla is back out again. Maybe last game was too early a comeback for him. Ćosić also remains out. Interestingly, perhaps as a result of Sabla's absence, the 1st and 2nd lines 'change places', Mad Hatter-style. Mehle joins Boychuk and Meyer once more. 

Goals

P1

VIC - Vienna turn defence into offense. Olimpija populate the Vienna OZ wholeheartedly, which means that when we wobble with possession, trouble is afoot. Boychuk passes to Mehle, who deflects it back towards the blue line. It starts 2v2, but Vienna end up transitioning into  3-on-1 after TJ Brennan's backcheck gets sidestepped and he briefly falls to his knees. They pass to the middle, leaving Mašič contorting in futile fashion, and beat Horak's glove.

P2

OLL - PPG - since Flashscore have been getting so many wrong recently, I don't entirely trust them that Mašič scored. Polei seemed to think he had the final, redirected touch. It's either Polei from Mašič and Meyer or Mašič from Meyer. Regardless, a long-range shot did go in, albeit on the man-advantage.  

P3

VIC - Horak can't control the rebound and Halbert accidentally knocks the puck in for his 2nd OG of the young season. Call it the beefy defender tax - when you're a bigger unit, you're simultaneously more likely to block a shot, as well as deflect it in!

VIC - Another rebound off Horak and neither Gregorc nor Crnović can help him by finding the puck before the Vienna forward.

Loss Dissection

My Uncle says that, on Sunday evening, 'you can smell Monday morning'. I could certainly smell that our unbeaten run was ending soon. We probably deserved to lose to AVS, yet managed to squeak out a win after OT and penalties. While I never expected OLL to go on an Arsenal 2003-4 Invincibles-type run this season, the manner of this one was disappointing. We destroyed this team 8-1 to start the season. We were consistently shooting twice as much as them. Yet, we lost 3-1. Yes, it was an away game, but so what? We trounced Innsbruck 9-3 away. 

Euro Hockey Hub's fellow Brit said that it was the best he'd seen Vienna play at home for a few seasons, which is encouraging. I don't feel they played in a way that fully prohibited us from winning the game, though. In Socrates' words, I still have much to learn, but here's my analysis.

Why did we lose?

• Vienna came much better prepared than the first game. They have had a few weeks to gel better as a team and it showed. 
• Sebastian Wraneschitz, the VIC goalie, played well. People called Sebastian are great, everybody knows that 😇. I don't think 'we got goalie'd', as in when a goalie plays out of his mind and steals the game. Don't let the 14-30 shot differential in our favour sway you entirely; shot quantity does not equate to shot quality. Was it Wraneschitz's good positioning or our poor shot placement that meant most of our shots thudded into his chest area? Most of our shots were long-range and Vienna, just like AVS, did a better job than the first 5 teams we faced of ensuring tip chances off the back of these long-range shots were limited. Outside of the pesky Zane Franklin, they also limited our powerplay opportunities. In Polei, we have someone who can consistently access the danger zones, but the Vienna defenders managed to slow the number 9 freight train down considerably.
• What Wraneschitz and Vienna did better than Horak and Olimpija was controlling rebounds. Horak, by his lofty standards, did not have a great day at the office - but this was compounded by occasionally-clueless-looking defenders. Halbert, fresh off his 30th birthday a few days prior, had his second own-goal of the season, while the usual 3rd pair suspects of Gregorc and Crnović were unable to find the puck and help Horak out after a good save, leading to a Vienna forward stabbing the puck in. One little nugget that I spotted is that when Rožle Bohinc made a mistake and turned the puck over, he went back into the DZ and solved his own problem, ensuring the puck left the DZ. That is part of why I keep advocating for him over the current 3rd pair - I don't trust them as much to solve their own problems.
• As ZG first suggested to me, are teams working out our new system under Coach Cooper? I need to do more learning to fully analyse this, but I do know that being at the top of the standings means teams 'give you their best shot' and prepare extra hard for you. As I have enjoyed writing about multiple times on this blog, this is where the Belichickian NFL adjustments come in. Teams have adjusted to our style of play - now, how are we going to adjust to those adjustments? That's Coach Cooper's job to work out. 
• Vienna limited the rush chances they gave up and exploited rush chances against us. Simply put, that will help you win these Jose Mourinho-style, 'park the bus' games. To be clear, I don't think they fully 'parked the bus' defensively, but they did pull off a 3-1 win while shooting half as much as we did and using defensive fortitude to create fast offensive breaks, all of which is very Mourinho. I don't think Didier Drogba could do much on the ice, though (I will try to resist the masculine urge to bring up random old footballers' names for the rest of this article).
• We were not clean enough in possession or passing. This relative malaise was a hangover from the AVS game. Look, it's one thing to get nullified by a historically very strong defensive team like Fehervar. It's another to have the same thing happen by a team you crushed 8-1 three weeks ago. How do we sort this out? Is this loss sufficient in itself to prompt a mental reset, now the pressure of maintaining an unbeaten record has dissipated? Bolzano, coming off a convincing victory over no less than Red Bull Salzburg, is going to be an enormous test.
• Maybe the ICE League's consistently low xG (expected goals) rating for us was correct, after all? I assumed they were still working out how to use it, as it's a new thing for them this year. Yet, perhaps we were scoring 'lucky' goals that shouldn't really have been going in, or playing against sub-standard goalies? Now that teams are better synced and more in the flow of the regular season, are teams tightening up? Again, we have to see how we adjust to the adjustments made against us. We also need the 1st and 2nd lines to activate against Bolzano, as they were both quiet tonight. The 3rd line, again, was the one that looked most fluid, with Simšič and Quince working together to feed Kapel in front, repeatedly. I tip my hat to those guys, after a low start to the season and after receiving frequent criticism from me.
• EDIT - We went 33% on the PP and 100% on the PK, so special teams are still clicking very well. The issues are definitely at 5-on-5.

Final thoughts

I don't expect to beat Bolzano after these past two showings, but as long as we exhibit some exiting of our offensive funk that we have sunk into, I will be happy. They are 1pt behind us with a game in hand, so our time at the top may soon be over. It was nice while it lasted - the main thing, of course, is to make the playoffs automatically. In a similar fashion to how I address my students during report season, losses will come, but the path we are on is the most important thing. Let's see what that path looks like over the rest of October.

25-26 GAMES 5 + 6

 

INNSBRUCK 3 - 9 OLIMPIJA 

SHARKS BITE BACK WITH FEISTY 2ND PERIOD BUT DRAGONS SANDWICH THAT WITH GOALS GALORE

3RD AND 4TH LINES KICK THINGS OFF BEFORE 1ST AND 2ND TAKE IT HOME 

Imgflip.com

https://ftw-eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2015/02/02/super-bowl-shark-memes-katy-perry-halftime/82107167007/

Lineup changes

Horák starts. Mašič is absent, so Halbert, Gregorc and Ćosić all shift up one. Mehle remains on line 1 with Sabla out.

Stars of the game 

* Marly Quince (2G) - Sparked the team in P1 with two goals and was unlucky to not end up with a hat-trick, thanks to a fiery 3rd line performance alongside a revitalised Nik Simšič and a blazing Rok Kapel.

** Evan Polei (2G)  - Choo-choo! Polei was hitting like a freight train all evening and making things generally very unpleasant for the Innsbruck defenders and goalie. He also scored two goals!!

*** Zach Boychuk (G, SHG) - Boychuk took the baton that the 3rd and 4th line passed on and kicked off our monster 3rd period with an exquisite shorthanded goal.

Goals

P1:

OLL - It goes Kapel, Simšič, Quince as the 3rd line move together to score.

OLL - Kapel's high effort creates Quince's next goal, going Kapel, Simšič, Quince once more! It's HCI 0 - 2 3rd line at the moment!

OLL - Sodja scores on a breakaway! So happy to see him put one in, as he has had a few of these in recent seasons but often seems to get thwarted. 

HCI - PPG off a back post rebound. Penalty was for too many men on the ice, which is a bad one to give up.

P2:

OLL - Brennan walks the blue line and his point shot gets deflected in by Polei. Halbert secondary assist.

HCI - HCI gain access to our DZ far too easily and a great shot goes in. Bohinc was unfortunately in no man's land here. A learning moment!

HCI - A breakaway rush chance is foiled, but the rebound gets put in by the next man there. Two goals in 59s and very lackadaisical defence from Olimpija.

P3:

OLL - Boychuk scores a shorthanded goal out of nowhere!! What a way to spark the team and regain some breathing space in the scoreline. It's a huge reset as he beats the young goalie's blocker. Gregorc and Kirichenko get assists.

OLL - Brennan tees up Meyer for a one-timer that flies in.

OLL - Mahkovec with a beauty of an assist around the net for a grateful Petan in front.

OLL - Mahkovec again to Polei, this time, at the back post.

OLL - Boychuk easily beats the now-very-defeated goalie. Assists from Meyer and Gregorc.

What I liked to see:

• The 3rd line clicking. Nik Simšič and Rok Kapel looked like men reborn tonight, operating on the wings of Marly Quince. Kapel was playing with such urgency and Simšič looked so smooth in possession. They served Quince up chance after chance, which allowed us to go up 2-0 on the back of this line alone. They epitomised Coach Cooper's apparent emphasis on interlinking the three forwards in each line with as much synchronisation as possible (basically, making them play really well off the back of each other). Although I still think Mehle should replace Simšič on the 3rd line, this was pleasing to see. We all love the 4th line and have seen the alternating success of the 1st and 2nd, but the 3rd seemed quite lacklustre thus far this season. They must have triple-high-fived before the game and exclaimed "No more!".
• I love a shorthanded goal - they are such a spear to the heart of the opposing team. 
• The sheer amount of scoring on offer was astounding. It felt like we could have had 12+ goals tonight, which is another testament to Coach Cooper's influence. The way we were retaining possession in the OZ and creating chances off the back of that was a delight to behold. It's really hard to play well offensively, as we've seen over the past two seasons, but Coach Cooper and the team are making it look easy.
• I enjoyed Halbert's P2-3 period break interview. He summarised Coach Cooper's approach, saying that 'we want to control the game and play it in their zone'. He then went on to do his best Letterkenny/Shoresy impression with 'we've got to get pucks deep' etc. This is a very Canadian British man 😂
• Talking of interviews, I also appreciated how polished Boychuk was in front of the camera. This is a former NHLer who has his own podcast (Athlete & Artist Show), so it's not a massive surprise, but I felt proud to watch him speak so well in our colours. Is that weird? Ah well, too late! 

What I would like to see:

• It's a bit silly to critique a monster win like this, but this section exists, so I'll be pedantic. I would like to see us 'play the full 60 minutes', in the sense that we really let HCI back into the game in the 2nd period, which ended with us 4-3 up. Better teams will be able to take advantage of those lulls, so we need to keep working on eliminating them as much as we can. In particular here, these were sloppy DZ exits which kept giving HCI unnecessary chances. You can't argue with 9 goals, though!
• No more 'too many men' penalties. 

Final thoughts:

As the Geto Boys sang in 1992, "Damn it feels good to be a gangsta". Damn, it feels good to be an offensive juggernaut in the ICE League! I never thought I'd see the day, yet here we are - top of the league and blasting off into the stratosphere in Goal Difference! Take a moment to enjoy this return to Gretzky-era hockey that we are witnessing.

OLIMPIJA 3 - 2 FEHERVAR (PENS)

OLIMPIJA OFFENSE STYMIED AS FEHERVAR RETURN TO DEFENSIVE LOCKDOWN FORM OF OLD

LAST GASP WIN FOR THE DRAGONS AS SABLA, BOYCHUK AND HORÁK STAND TALL 

Imgflip.com

OLL fans during P3, OT and penalties:

From Detroit: Become Human, a game I recommend! Available at: https://aminoapps.com/c/detroitbecomhumanofficial/page/blog/cute-connor-stuff-and-a-meme/0Kop_eqCkuKa51BEXakke65zKJzbDLB40p

Lineup changes

Sabla is back in the team and on the top line after an injury layoff. Mehle goes out as a result. Bukovec comes in for an injured Sodja. Ćosić is ill. Crnović and Mašič return, too.

Stars of the game

* Robert Sabolič - the captain returned and delivered in the 'biggest of spots', to quote Dan Hanzus (of Around the NFL and Heed the Call podcast fame). He provided the equaliser in the 3rd period, when we desperately needed a goal, as well as scoring a key penalty in the shootout.

** Lukaš Horák - shootout hero #1, locking down the last five (!) AVS penalties after conceding the first two.

*** Zach Boychuk - shootout hero #2, scoring his first and being sent back out to successfully claim the victory, which was sealed by a Horák save.

Goals

P2:

OLL - Goal Meyer, assisted by Boychuk and Sabolič. In Pečo's words: "BURGER, BURGER, BURGER!". OLL open the scoring with a Smash Attack goal, sending fans into a free burger frenzy. It's a pretty enormous error from the AVS defender, who turns it over under pressure from Boychuk right into the path of Meyer. Meyer feints a shot but passes to the open Boychuk, inhabiting the space from whence the defender came. Boychuk hits the post first-time, but it sneaks around Reijola for Meyer to hit home.

AVS - 23s later, Fehervar storm down the middle and beat Horak's glove. After all that effort to break their defences, we're back to square one almost immediately.

AVS - Horak is screened on a point shot through traffic and it sails in.

P3:

OLL - With 5:39 remaining, goal Sabolič, assisted by Brennan. Sabla's goal represents the apex of order and chaos in our existence. The first shot attempt off TJ's pass in front of net is snatched at, flying up into the air. Chaos reigns, the groans are shimmering in fans' throats. Mid-air, Sabla thwacks it into the top corner. Order is restored, the angels applaud and the pre-groans turn into cries of elation.

PENS:

Meyer - Blocker save

Sabla - Backhand score

Boychuk - 5-hole score

Brennan - Glove save

Mahkovec - Blocker save

Petan - Post

Boychuk - Wide angle score!

Horak went goal, goal, save, save, save, save, save. 1st goal was a beaten blocker attempt and 2nd was wide angle and shot on the left, which multiple Fehervar players tried. Maybe they had something on Horak in the pre-scouting?

What I liked to see:

• This was Fehervar at their finest, initiating the kind of lockdown which any pandemic-era government would be proud of. And yet - I still think how close the game was is more to do with us than them. Our crisp passing from tape to tape deserted us. Our bodies looked a beat too slow to cleanly execute what our minds envisioned. And yet - we still won the game.

• What do we learn from this? That we can dig deep and survive in games where we are firmly on the back foot. This is one to keep in the mental locker, in the file "never give up". Sometimes this kind of win is more valuable in the long term than another 7-2 pounding.

• Sabla's return was immensely important in this win. I still have reservations about him as Captain, for a variety of reasons, but this was a Captain's performance. Equalising when scoring seemed impossible and deftly tucking away his penalty is something we should all salute him for.

• Zach Boychuk making a key impact was nice to see. He's been doing a lot of good things without being mega flashy, but tonight we got some mega flashy moments under the spotlight of penalties. Well-deserved applause for 89!

What I would like to see:

• A return to our slick offense that scythes through opponents. I need to keep learning about hockey tactics to get that highest-level analysis going, but as I said above, I think this was more about us being a bit 'off' this game, rather than Fehervar doing anything more than returning to their form of last year.
• I'm not suggesting the team does anything other than try their best, but I would really like to see us try not to concede goals right after we've scored. It was such a gut-punch to immediately concede after working so hard for the first goal.

Final thoughts:

Fehervar's identity as a defensive lockdown team is certainly not dead yet, despite a mid-week 9-4 loss to G99 that lulled me into a false sense of security. Rasmus Reijola is still the 2nd best goalie in the league, behind Horák of course. Fehervar will be kicking themselves but we should be wiping the sweat off our brows having survived by the skin of our teeth, as we say in English. Overall, this is a hard-fought win in a game that we could have easily lost, which will teach us a lot for the future. Well done!