The tops and flops of HC Bozen

Top The captain: Alexander Egger not only made a decisive effort to ensure team cohesion and conveyed the Bolzano winning mentality to the “new guys” in the squad, but also shone on the ice several times. After a bumpy start to the season, he found his top form and, despite his now 37 years (!), remained at a consistently high level in his fourth EBEL year. The club veteran hit the mark six times and provided the preparatory work for 22 goals.

Marco Insam: He deserves special praise. No other player in the squad can be used as variably as the 27-year-old from Val Gardena. Whether in defense or attack, in the power play or penalty killing. He often proved to be indispensable with his complete style of play and his powerful shot. Last but not least, his 27 scorer points may have catapulted him onto the notepad of some scouts from abroad.

The “local players”: They were the ones who pulled the cart out of the mud in difficult phases and stepped in when one of the foreign players lost form. The new arrivals Luca Frigo and Michael Marchetti were immediately a reinforcement, Anthony Bernard and Mark Gander convinced with consistency, Daniel frank matured into an integral part of the team and Hannes Oberdörfer After a short phase of weakness, he probably offered his best performances in the HCB jersey. Even the 22 year old Daniel Glira has passed his school leaving examination on the international stage.

Marcel Melicher?ík: After conceding eight goals on the first matchday, many HCB fans still frowned. Six months later, immediately after the end of the season against Vienna, they celebrated him on the ice for minutes. And rightly so: he improved enormously and developed into an absolute top performer. With a catch rate of 93,3%, the Slovakian team led Bolzano to victory several times in the playoffs. He was particularly crucial in the quarter-finals against Linz. Praise also goes to Melicher?ík's backup, Jake smith . The 21-year-old was only used 10 times, but impressed with some spectacular saves.

Fans: Not only the committed performances of the cracks in white and red, but also the atmosphere in the stands made a visit to the Eiswelle an experience for every sports enthusiast. An average of 3.159 spectators (fourth best in the league!) passed through the turnstiles on Galvani Street. They always whipped their favorites forward, even in hopeless situations, and ensured a level of decibels that remains unmatched in other EBEL arenas.

Brodie Reid: In his second year in Bolzano he proved to be an absolute top performer. With his 30 goals and 25 assists in 60 league games, he is the undisputed number one in the team's internal scorer rankings. How valuable the 1-year-old winger is became clear after his loss in the semi-final against Vienna. He wanted to return to the ice as soon as possible after his cruciate ligament tear.

Winter transfers: Andrew Yogan and Lindsay Sparks for Glen Metropolitan and Denny Kearney. This move by club officials turned out to be a real stroke of luck at the beginning of February. Yogan, who was already in Bolzano at the beginning of the season, noticeably increased the quality and wit in the offensive, Sparks repeatedly set the needle with his speed and his desire to score.

Team spirit: Although there was often talk of group formation and disputes between coaches and players, the HCB impressed in the playoffs with an impressive team unity that drove the Linz star ensemble to despair and even left the confident regular-season winner from Vienna reeling. This is certainly Coach's credit Tom Pokel , who held his own in a struggle for strength with some of his (former) players and, with the necessary support from management, formed a tight-knit unit.

FLOPS

Glen Metropolitan: He came to Bolzano as a 437-time NHL player, as German and Swiss champion, as Finnish runner-up, but disappointed across the board. At the beginning there were a few tricks and dream passes that caused a stir, but in the end he was only a shadow of his former self and a constant source of unrest in the team locker room. His impressive career came to an inglorious end in Bolzano.

Nick Palmieri: It wasn't the season for the Bolzano crowd favorite. At first he was in poor form and was rarely the hoped-for bright figure in the offensive game, but when the trend was upward, a stick from Linz player Brett McLean forced his early end to the season. A Nick Palmieri at his full potential would have been worth his weight in gold for the Foxes in the playoffs.

Power play: The HCB was able to play in numerical superiority for 244 minutes last season, but only scored 42 goals. With a success rate of 17,2%, a weak point can be quickly identified. Although the problem had been known for months, Pokel was unable to present a solution until recently.

Exploitation of opportunities: In the 2016/17 season, the HCB players fired at the opposing goal a total of 1.864 times, with 185 of the shots finding their way into the goal. This value is impressive, but it does not reflect the countless top-class opportunities that Jesse Root & Co. missed over the course of the season. The Foxes felt the counterexample firsthand: in the semi-finals, Viennese callousness made the difference.

Bad luck with injuries: The HCB is not to blame for this, but the fact is that the numerous failures throughout the season have taken a toll. All that remains is a thought experiment as to what would have happened if Palmieri, Reid, Gander and Ramoser could have played the full season finale.

SN/Alexander Foppa

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The tops and flops of HC Bozen

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