HCB boss Knoll: “I’m surprised myself”

Started the pick round with 0 points and finished in first place: Are you surprised, Mr. Knoll?

Dieter Knoll: “Of course I’m surprised. If you had asked me before the pick round what our goal was, I would have said a top four finish. I didn't expect it to be first place. Last season we ended up in last place in the second round because some players - especially the foreign ones - didn't take it very seriously. This year I went into the dressing room before the start of the pick round and emphasized the importance of this intermediate round. That’s why we started with a completely different motivation.”

The first fruits of new coach Greg Ireland's work were reaped in the pick round...

“We were always convinced that we had sent a good team into the race. But I have to say that the coaching change came at the right time. Ireland has a lot of experience, you can see that he comes from a higher league. If you prove yourself for two and a half years in Lugano, which is an even hotter place than Bolzano, then that means something.”

Greg Ireland, coach of HC Bozen. © Vanna Antonello

What specific adjustments did Ireland make to turn the often moody HCB diva into a close-knit group that consistently delivers?

“Ireland is a coach who treats everyone equally. So he gives the same opinion to the oldest player as he does to the younger player. True to the motto: I show the way, whoever follows gets ice time. If you don't follow, you'll end up sitting on the bench. This rigor, this straightforwardness is important. You always have to take into account that we are a dwarf in the EBEL and have a modest budget. We can only win if we act as a team and fight for each other. The coach drilled that into the boys. From a technical point of view, he picked up the pace in training and greatly improved the power play.”

Was the aforementioned rigor missing under former coach Clayton Beddoes?

“Clayton was a good coach, but perhaps not strict enough and not communicative enough. He often told me that the quality in the team was lacking - but that's what it is. To his credit, it must be said that he was missing defender Brett Flemming, who was injured for a long time, and Patrick Wiercioch - whose signing is like a 13 in the Totocalcio for us - only arrived in December. These two players are now partly responsible for the fact that the defense is our showpiece.”

At what level do you see the HCB compared to recent years?

“I would say this: the quality we currently have is no worse than that in which we became EBEL champions.”

The picking will take place on Saturday: Who is your dream opponent for the quarter-finals?

“My dream opponent is Innsbruck, that would be a highlight. This duel is a derby, so a lot of spectators would definitely come in and a lot of fans would also come out, and the journeys would also be very short. But Innsbruck has to qualify first. In any case, today (Friday, editor's note) I will sit down with coach Ireland and my son Georg. Then we will think about it and play through the different scenarios. And decide whether we will choose Innsbruck, Znojmo, Fehervar or another team like Villach.”

Last question: The coronavirus is also keeping the sports world in suspense - are you afraid that the first play-off game on Wednesday will have to be played in the ice wave behind closed doors?

“No, I’m not afraid of that. We are playing in a large stadium with a lot of air movement, we will always ventilate and also provide disinfectants. Unless an epidemic breaks out in South Tyrol in the next few days, it will be a normal game with some hygiene precautions added.”

Questions: Thomas Debelyak

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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HCB boss Knoll: “I’m surprised myself”

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