Corona confusion at HCB: Now the captain speaks

As a SportNews Reached Anton Bernard by phone on Wednesday, the HCB captain was - as always - completely relaxed. “I'm at home, enjoying the sun in the garden with my children. Otherwise we’re not allowed to do much at the moment,” said the 31-year-old. For Bernard, a procedure that already took place at the end of September is now being repeated. As is well known, several Foxes players tested positive for Corona a few days before the start of the championship against Bratislava. The game against the Slovaks was canceled and should actually have been rescheduled last Tuesday. But Corona intervened again.

“We were a little worried about it.” Anthony Bernard The people of Bolzano, who had traveled directly to Bratislava after Sunday's away game against Fehervar, received the sobering news on Tuesday that 7 players had been infected with Corona again ( SportNews berichtete ). “When we heard that, we thought: No, not again! Mentally it's difficult. Nowadays you almost have to expect that such setbacks will occur. We were a bit afraid of it,” says Bernard, referring to Bolzano’s home game against Graz last Friday. “Graz now has 23 cases in the team – that’s pretty steep. There are also cases in Villach and Dornbirn. I’m excited to see what happens next.” A nerve-racking situation The entire Bolzano team was tested on Wednesday. Whether we can play against Linz (Friday at home) and Klagenfurt (Sunday away) at the weekend will become clear after the results are received this Thursday. “The situation is a bit nerve-wracking, especially the constant testing. Somehow you're always on pins and needles. It's also not ideal for the family, for example I can't send my son to kindergarten," says Bernard, who adds: "Of course it's a difficult situation. But I have to say that we remained compact and motivated as a team. The coach also did his part to ensure that we always have the essentials – our goals – in mind, even in such a situation.”

The HCB wants to cheer again as soon as possible. © Vanna Antonello

You could see at the start of the season that the HCB has a lot going for it this year, when the HCB was struggling due to the numerous corona-related failures and yet was able to heroically win the first 3 games. “Here you can see that the head plays a big role in ice hockey. We went out on the ice in those games and just gave it our all, knowing we had nothing to lose. But it’s a bit paradoxical: When all the players were on board again, we lost twice.” The HCB can be trusted to do anything Nevertheless: This HCB when fully staffed can be a force. Bernard knows that too. “The team is great, probably one of the best in the ICE,” says the captain. “If the group fits together and everyone plays for everyone else, the HCB can do anything. But it’s also clear that all the circumstances make everything a little more difficult.”

Speaking of circumstances: Bernard does not believe that the hockey season will be canceled early. “I can imagine that there could be changes in the game calendar, maybe even in the mode. But I believe that everyone will do everything they can to ensure that the season is finished.”

We can only hope that the HCB will be spared from the unwanted Corona guest in the future.

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. Klagenfurt	47	183:101	102
2. Fehervar	46	146:126	89
3. Salzburg	46	142:107	87
4. HCB South Tyrol	46	137:125	76
5. Linz	46	146:116	75
6. Villach	46	155:136	74
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Corona confusion at HCB: Now the captain speaks

At HCB Südtirol Alperia, 7 players tested positive for Corona on Tuesday. The new virus is once again causing chaos at the country's largest ice hockey club. He explains to SportNews how captain Toni Bernard experiences the situation.

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