HCP goalie Andy Bernard is currently unable to play ice hockey. © HCP/Florian Gasperi

The mystery surrounding Andy Bernard

HC Pustertal has had a turbulent start to the season. There were two games that caused wild discussions in Bruneck and far beyond. Only one person was not involved: Andreas Bernard. What's wrong with the Pustertal goalie?

September 25, 2024

Bernard's last appearance for the Wolves was three weeks ago, in a friendly against Asiago. The goalkeeper missed the Alperia Cup in Bolzano, the opening defeat in the league against Fehervar and the subsequent derby defeat at HCB.

Bernard was actually supposed to compete for the spot between the posts with the experienced new signing Olivier Roy. Why is he missing from the Wolves' squad? Do the Bruneck fans have to worry about their goalie?SportNews went in search of clues and asked the person concerned himself.

"I can reassure everyone, I'm fine - at least somewhat," said Bernard. By "somewhat," the 34-year-old from Kalterer means his poor health. He has been suffering from a viral illness for weeks. It is unclear exactly what the illness is. "I have been examined by doctors and sports medicine specialists. Unfortunately, there is no precise diagnosis, but fortunately a serious illness has been ruled out."

Olivier Roy and Andreas Bernard (r.) form the Bruneck goalkeeper duo this season. © HCP

The fact is: Bernard is currently unable to play ice hockey. When under high pressure, he gets dizzy and nauseous. Since he was feeling better last week, he acted as backup in the home game against Fehervar and watched from the bench how his team a referee's wrong decision slipped into a 2:5 defeat. "We did a lot of things right, but all in all it was not a good performance. The same applies to the derby," said Bernard, who the 2:5 in Bolzano at home. "Sure, Bozen did well both offensively and defensively. But we need to come together more closely and show more passion."

“The doctors recommended that I rest for a few days” Andrew Bernard

And when will Bernard be able to bring this passion back to the ice? "I can't answer that question. The doctors have recommended that I rest for a few more days. I assume that I will be able to play again next week," said the national goalkeeper optimistically. This means that Bernard will miss both the home game against Innsbruck on Friday and the away trip to Ljubljana on Sunday. The Wolves' next appearance will be in Salzburg on Wednesday. Until then, Bernard will try to keep fit with light conditioning training.