Three attempts at crisis management

With the home defeat against Salzburg, HC Bozen has come dangerously close to the “dash line”. Only five points separate the champions from the relegation places - and the prospects are bleak, as there are tough home games against KAC, Linz and Vienna, and there are also the unpopular away trips to Znojmo, Graz and Székesfehérvár. After five defeats from the last six games, the HCB has to turn things around immediately in order not to jeopardize their participation in the playoffs. But: How is this supposed to succeed?

The Knoll Method: Talking Club boss Dieter Knoll seems to have found his answer to this question. He had his first discussions in the Eiswelle catacombs on Sunday evening, immediately after the Salzburg game. More followed in the past few days. He took the coach to task, then the local players and the foreign cracks. He wanted to hear from the protagonists what they thought was going wrong, spoke to their conscience and appealed to the oft-quoted Bolzano fighting spirit.

If the downward trend continues, Knoll should soon follow his words with actions. There are several potential candidates in the squad, but due to their recent performance, no potential buyer has come knocking yet. The Suikkanen Method: Maintain Calm Coach Kai Suikkanen, however, chooses a completely different path. He lets calm prevail. Although he also tries to talk to the players, he does so to the same extent. It's rare for Finns to get really loud, but at the same time words of praise and encouragement are extremely rare.

Suikkanen also uses his own tried-and-tested way when it comes to personnel decisions: he sends players who don't contribute, like Dan Catenacci recently, to the substitutes' bench during the game. Others are transferred to the line system as a penalty. This is what happened to the busy Kuparinen, who does not enjoy a particularly high standing among his compatriot behind the gang. In the end, “General” Suikkanen often shows mercy. Whether Catenacci, Cresenzi, Geiger or MacKenzie - they all don't have to worry about their place in the squad due to poor performances, although Glira, Carozza or Schweitzer would definitely be available to rotate. Suikkanen is (rightly) still benefiting from the master's bonus, but now he has to prove himself again as a crisis manager - he is free to choose the methods he uses. The player method: stick together Not only Knoll and Suikkanen are looking for ways out of the depression, the players themselves are also trying to find solutions. One motto keeps coming through: We have to stand together! “We have to be a solid unit. This is the only way the turnaround can succeed,” Marco Insam preaches tirelessly. To do this, an intact team needs to be brought together even further; the blocks of local, Scandinavian and Canadian players need to be broken down. Insam himself, but also captain Anton Bernard or Mike Blunden as the team's internal leader, who is on the ice during training despite an injury that is still recovering, are now required. They have to instill in their teammates the unconditional will to win and ensure that no one gets out of line. Otherwise the cohesion method risks failing. “I hope for my chance” Daniel Glira This also includes the cracks who have become marginal figures, such as defender Daniel Glira, who says himself: “I can only put myself into it and hope that I get my chance to help the team in this situation.” One detail on the side: Glira was one of the last to leave the ice at Wednesday's training. Only Insam did his extra laps in the ice wave afterwards. By then, Suikkanen and his assistant Phil Barski had long since disappeared into the locker room, but their commitment should not have gone unnoticed by them either.

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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Three attempts at crisis management

Two days before the important game against Klagenfurt, SportNews paid a training visit to HCB Südtirol Alperia and discovered: The Foxes are still looking for the right way out of the slump.

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