Monthly report from the HCB: The team is the star

The HCB remains the measure of all things in the cross-border championship and shines with its strong team. The team was also the star in February. Some of the Füchse players offered outstanding performances in the last 9 games, others fell a little short of expectations. GOALKEEPER Leland Irving: 8 Bolzano's number 19 had to accept 1 goals in the 8 February games in which he was between the posts and celebrated 2 shutouts. The Canadian was the usual reliable support, although - in contrast to previous months - he let one or two pucks pass through. In doing so, the Canadian showed that he too only has human abilities. Irving would still have earned a contract extension.

Goalkeeper Leland Irving was the usual reliable support. © Max Pattis

Justin Fazio: 6 Was only given one chance in February and was only able to use it to a limited extent. In the last and meaningless game of the regular season, the Italian Canadian missed 3 of the 20 shots in Linz (85 percent) and was partly to blame for the 2-3 defeat against the bottom team. Fazio has proven that he can do better in the 13 previous games in which he has appeared. DEFENSE Dylan Di Perna: 7 Occasional hard checks and good physicality, but also his general defensive virtues, make the dual national a very useful and useful defender for the team. A look at the plus-minus rating shows that Di Perna hardly makes any mistakes (+19). In the home game against Salzburg, he proved that the 24-year-old also has advantages in boxing when he won points against Peter Hochkofler from Eppan.

Gleason Fournier: 7,5 The all-rounder has long been a fixture in the Bolzano backline. In the last 9 games, the Canadian, who sometimes plays with too much risk, scored a goal and 2 assists. However, due to his mobility and game intelligence, Fournier could be involved in the attack more often. The 29-year-old has kept his error rate very low so far, which is also reflected in his plus-minus balance (+21).

Matteo Pietroniro: 6,5 Had to sit in the stands twice in February as a supernumerary defender. The young Italian-Canadian, who was mostly only the 2th defender in the lineup in the 7 games and assisted on a goal, is playing solidly, but still has a long way to go until he is a seasoned defensive stalwart. Currently, at 7, the youngest player in the Bolzano squad is a follower – nothing more.

Nick Plastino: 7,5 Bozen's number 44 has continued to decline in recent weeks, but was still an important part of the HCB's defensive network. The 35-year-old was recently weakened by a knee injury, which is why he was unable to use all of his capital. The Italo was denied his 6th goal of the season. He prepared 8 goals in 5 games.

Dennis Robertson: 9 The Bolzano defense team stands or falls with the Canadian this winter. The “fighting pig” is on the ice for what feels like 40 minutes per game, doesn’t avoid a duel, cleans up properly in front of the goal and is usually the first to come out of the corners with the puck. The 29-year-old scored 3 goals and assisted 5 more in February.

Dennis Robertson has been playing outstandingly for weeks. © Max Pattis

Karl Stollery: 6 The NHL-proven defensive specialist missed a lot in February and is still waiting for his first goal in the ICEHL after 13 games. The 2018 Olympic medalist has shown off his skating skills and has repeatedly found ways out of tight situations, but his qualities in the forward game are limited. He is the only HCB player who has a negative plus-minus balance (-1).

Ivan Tauferer: 7,5 The Rittner returned to the ice on February 120th after a 7-day break due to injury and picked up where he left off in the first 3 games of the season. The 26-year-old doesn't shy away from anything or anyone, hardly makes any mistakes and ensures the necessary water displacement in front of his own goal. Tauferer has only been denied scorer points in the last 7 games.

Ben Youds: 6 The agile American is neither fish nor flesh. Left out in February after 5 games due to injury. Youds has repeatedly hinted at his abilities with the disc, but he was unable to make any impact offensively. The fact that he is still without a goal after 32 games is due to his weak shot. ATTACK Domenic Alberga: 7,5 Since Alberga has been leading the “Italo line” with Stefano Giliati and Angelo Miceli as centers, his performance has been improving. The playmaker impressed with his overview and passing ability. He loves the physical game. This was his downfall in Klagenfurt. After a caning he was suspended for two games. Nevertheless, he managed 2 goals and 6 assists each in 2 games.

Anthony Bardaro: 7,5 The Italian-Canadian had to watch two games due to an elbow check. But he also spread fear and terror among opponents alongside Daniel Catenacci and Mike Halmo. In the 2:6 win against Fehervar, the striker, who is gradually approaching his form from last year, scored his second brace of the winter.

Anton Bernard: 7 The captain, who scored his 4th and most recent goal on December 8th, has assisted 9 goals in the last 4 games. However, the Kalterer impressed with his defensive role, his leadership qualities and his class in the outnumbered game. Bernard is certainly one of the best penalty killers in the entire league. The two-way center knew how to please as an exemplary fighter and hard worker.

Daniel Catenacci: 7,5 The Italian-Canadian committed a reaction foul in Klagenfurt after a bad decision by the referees and weakened his team with two game suspensions. His playing class, on the other hand, is undisputed: Catenacci can play passes with millimeter precision and also knows where the opponent's goal is. The HCB's top scorer (2 goals) had 17 goals and 2 assists each in February.

Ivan Deluca: 7 The Sterzinger, who missed the last three games due to injury, remained without a point in February, but always put himself at the service of the team. At 3 meters, the tallest player in the HCB ranks always impressed with his reach. He stood in front of the opposing goalkeeper in the power play, skillfully blocking their view, but also had to take a lot.

Brett Findlay: 8 The Canadian, together with Dustin Gazley, forms one of the most dangerous attacking pairs in the league. He is also one of the strongest center forwards and is very difficult to separate from the target. In the last 9 games, Findlay was on the scoresheet 3 times and made the winning pass 4 times. Nevertheless, the plus-minus balance was -3.

Daniel Frank: 6,5 In February, he was unable to build on the strong performances in the previous weeks. This was also due to the decline in performance of his linemates Findlay and Gazley, for whom he always has their backs. Nevertheless: The Merano native, who “only” managed 9 assists in 2 games, is indispensable, especially in penalty killing, and is an important reference point in the dressing room.

Luca Frigo: 7 The role player from Moncalieri (Piedmont) is as reliable as a Swiss watch. The winger is mostly inconspicuous, but makes noticeably few mistakes. The 27-year-old has mastered the outnumbered game to perfection. He not only takes on the defensive role, but is also always good for goals. In February he was on the top scorer list twice and scored the decisive goal in a 2-4 win against Fehervar.

Dustin Gazley: 8 Opened the month with a gala performance when he was involved in all 4 goals in the 3-4 win against Klagenfurt. After that, the team's top scorer often remained pale and was rarely able to unravel the opposing defenses with his speed. In the 4-0 win against his former team Salzburg, the Italian-American scored his second brace of the past month, in which he scored 10 points.

Stefano Giliati: 8,5 Last month showed what he was made of. The Italian hit the target 5 times, 2 more goals than in the previous 4 months combined. He was also able to get 5 assists. The “oldie” in the Bolzano team repeatedly posed big problems for his opponents due to his speed and cunning.

Mike Halmo: 9 The more important the games become, the stronger Halmo becomes. The “playoff monster” remembered his extraordinary playing skills in February and stayed away from the penalty box for the most part (only 10 penalty minutes). The Canadian has recently been crucial in the slot and on the boards. He also collected 9 scorer points. He even managed a flawless hat trick in the 4-3 win against Fehervar.

Marco Insam: 6,5 Still a very team-serving player who is allowed on the ice in all moments of the game: no matter at 5-on-5, when outnumbered or outnumbered. However, the 31-year-old has forgotten how to score goals in recent weeks and has now been waiting for a goal for 25 games. Insam is an exemplary fighter with leadership qualities.

Angelo Miceli: 8,5 The Italian-Canadian came up trumps last month. He not only shone as a goalscorer (4 goals) but also as a provider (5 assists). After previous rather mixed performances, the winger has recently proven how important he is for the HCB. The “Calabria Sniper” impressed with his good hands and very good legs, both of which he needs given his size.

Simon Pitschieler: 6,5 Was able to demonstrate his talent 2 times in the 5nd month of the year and also helped out twice for his hometown club HC Gherdëina. Pitschieler met Ireland's requirements satisfactorily. It didn't matter whether he was called up as a center or winger. If the HCB is spared from failures in the hot phase, then the number 2's playing time is likely to decrease further.

Not rated: Diego Glück and Stefan Quinz

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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Monthly report from the HCB: The team is the star

7 wins and 2 defeats: This is what HCB Südtirol Alperia's record looks like in February. Since Sunday, the White-Reds have had first place in the Pick Round and therefore also have the advantage of being able to choose their quarter-final opponent. The monthly report card.

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