The Unterlandler Way

In mid-January, the Cavaliers, led by then-president Gerd Großgasteiger, dropped a bombshell: The club would withdraw from the AlpsHL because "the organizational and financial burden is becoming increasingly greater and is no longer manageable for us." This decision was met with criticism not only from the players, who had no say in the decision-making process.

New board with four members Even prominent representatives of Lower Austria's ice hockey community followed the developments with concern. One of them was Karl Pichler. Initially active as a referee and in recent years as a referee observer, he, along with his board colleagues Dietmar Kaneppele, Marcello Cembran, and Petra Amplatz, as well as other committed stakeholders, became the driving force behind the efforts to reverse the previous board's decision.

"I'm from Neumarkt, and the Unterland Cavaliers project has always fascinated me," emphasizes the new president. "It would have been all the more regrettable if we had deprived our talented players of an important future prospect." He began working with a pressure group just a few weeks after the withdrawal was announced. Pichler was supported by the junior clubs in Neumarkt and Auer, whose talented talent forms the foundation of the "Cavs." "They also wanted to play in the AlpsHL with the same concept as in recent years," explains Pichler.

The first few months, in which funding for the new season had to be secured, weren't easy. Pichler says that some sponsors were very dissatisfied. "They learned about the withdrawal from the press release. No discussions were held with them beforehand, which is why there was already a need to talk." However, the new organizers managed to raise the necessary funds.

Meanwhile, the AlpsHL hasn't put any obstacles in the way of the new club management. "The league welcomed us with open arms and gave us an additional two or three weeks to make a definitive commitment," says Pichler. "The AlpsHL is a must for us. In its first year of existence, I even refereed games myself. Today, it is still excellently managed and presents itself as an extremely attractive sporting event."

Juhani Matikainen will be in charge of the Cavaliers from now on. © Max Pattis

After all organizational duties had been fulfilled, a tricky task began for sporting director Paolo Bonazzo: roster planning. Three months passed between the AlpsHL's departure and the official resumption, during which time numerous players faced competition. "Three key players, like Nicoló Remolato, Michael Sullmann, and Lukas Goldner, are gone. Others were on the verge of being replaced, but stayed," emphasizes Pichler. The club had to abandon its original plan to start the season with just two guest players in the summer due to an injury. Moritz Kaufmann, one of its key players, will be out at least until December. The 22-year-old, who was the Cavaliers' top scorer in the last two seasons, scoring 34 and 30 points respectively, has suffered a partial cruciate ligament tear.

One defender from Lithuania, two strikers from Estonia New to the team are the Estonian twins Marek and Erik Potsinok, as well as the Lithuanian defender Artur Seniut. All three were born in 2004 and thus fit perfectly into the Unterland team, which has only four (!) players born outside the new millennium. "The three guest workers were selected after a thorough analysis of their qualities and character," explains Pichler. Meanwhile, the club has no plans to upgrade during the season. "There are no financial reasons why we aren't fully utilizing our foreign player quota. Rather, it's our philosophy to give our talented players as much space as possible. Of course, nothing can be ruled out, as injuries can always happen. But we believe in our young players and plan to finish the season with the current squad."

This concept was also explained to the new coach, Juhani Matikainen, at the contract signing ceremony. "He enjoys working with young players and is fully behind us," the president assured. The Finn is no stranger to the club, having already worked in Alleghe for four years. Tuomo Harjula, his assistant, knows the Lower Austrian environment like no other. The 47-year-old played in Neumarkt for three years and has been coaching the youth system for over a decade.

"My wishes for the new season are that the young players gain a lot of confidence and learn a lot, that we have a quiet championship and that we place ourselves at least in the midfield," Pichler explains the goals.

Underland Cavaliers Additions: Artur Seniut (Sport /FINU20), Thomas Galimberti (Wipptal Broncos), Erik Potsinok (KeuPa/FIN2), Mare Potsinok (KeuPa/FIN2)

Departures: Lukas Goldner, Nicholas Tessadri (both HC Valdifiemme/IHL), Matteo Liprandi, Michael Sullmann (both Pergine/IHL), Kristians Samitis (IPK/FIN2), Daniels Murnieks (Gap/FRA), Nicolò Remolato (Cortina)

AlpsHL Austria	SP	TV	P
Rittner Buam	0	0:0	0
Underland Cavaliers	0	0:0	0
Salzburg II	0	0:0	0
Kitzbühel	0	0:0	0
Zell am See	0	0:0	0
HC Meran	0	0:0	0
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The Unterlandler Way

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