Monthly report from the HCB: Not all that glitters is gold

The Foxes had 6 wins and 5 losses in the month of January. This meant that the league lead was defended and the playoff ticket was secured early. In short, HC Bozen is completely on target. But does this also apply to individual players? We subjected them to individual criticism and found that some cracks are close to a 10 in their report card, while others need to improve. GOALKEEPER Leland Irving: 9 Irving had to concede 9 goals in the last two games. They account for a significant proportion of his total of just 24 goals conceded this season and show that he too only has human strength. Except for the games in Fehérvár and Graz, Irving was simply outstanding. With his saves he kept Bozen on the winning road and at the same time provided minutes of material for any highlight videos.

Andreas Bernard: 8,5 With a catch rate of 93,8%, the Kalterer region continues to have the second best ICE value. In his 10 appearances he more than met expectations. It's not for nothing that several clubs came knocking on his door after his HCB interlude, and Bernard has since moved on to Sweden.

Not rated: Justin Fazio, Jakob Rabanser DEFENDER Gleason Fournier: 7 The Canadian scored two goals in January, both in a duel with Red Bull Salzburg. These were also the games in which he was able to make the clearest impression. The fine technician from overseas could definitely make targeted pinpricks in the offensive movement even more often. After a ten-day layoff, he made his comeback at the weekend.

Matteo Pietroniro: 7 The Canadian has only made 43 appearances in adult ice hockey, but at 22 years old he is already playing like an old hand. Alert, calm and loyal to his position, he keeps the back of his defense partner Nick Plastino, who is much more offensively oriented. Although: In the past few weeks, Pietroniro has also appeared more courageous in his forward movement.

Nick Plastino: 8,5 The long-time Ambrì player was no longer as dominant in January as he was in the weeks before the turn of the year: but the Italian-Canadian is still regularly one of Bolzano's best. In the first month of the year alone, Plastino fired 13 shots in 37 games. Although he was denied a goal, these are just one of many key figures that underline his immense value for the HCB.

Dylan Di Perna: 7 The 24-year-old had relatively low expectations before the start of the season, but after overcoming his initial difficulties and getting used to European ice hockey, he won his way through his physical presence, his calmness on the ice and his affable manner in the dressing room high standing. He lived up to this with consistency in January.

Dennis Robertson: 9,5 The man from British Columbia is an absolute winner who, after his Calder Cup success in 2019, is now doing everything he can to win the next championship title in Bolzano. While in 2020 he occasionally made mistakes in building up the game, he has been simply exemplary since the turn of the year - both in defense, in forward movement and especially as a leader in the dressing room.

Karl Stollery: 6 He has already demonstrated his outstanding technique and overview on several occasions, but both in Villach and recently in Fehérvár his loss of targets led to goals being conceded. The former NHL and KHL defender hasn't really arrived in Bolzano yet - his first goal of the season against Graz doesn't change that. The 1-year-old was given January to get used to it, but now he has to improve.

Karl Stollery (left) still has plenty of room for improvement. © Kiss

Ben Youds: 6,5 The American provided an assist against Graz, but previously remained without a goal for two and a half months. Sure, Youds primarily has defensive tasks to do, but you can expect a lot more presence in the game from a man with his experience (273 games in the AHL and 111 in the Swedish SHL). He has played flawlessly in the defensive third over the past few weeks.

Not rated: Ivan Tauferer STRIKER Domenic Alberga: 6,5 He doesn't shy away from physical contact and is not above the strenuous duels on the boards. Alberga also helps out at the back and distributes the pucks with precision. But he still needs to work on his efficiency. The Italian-Canadian has been waiting for his 9th goal of the season for 4 weeks now. January was the centre-forward's weakest month so far.

Anthony Bardaro: 7 Italy's international striker is slowly returning to his form from last season, when he spread fear and terror among opposing defenders with his callousness. Most recently, he has been regularly included in the scorers' rankings - good for his team, because the HCB relies on his goals in the title race.

Anton Bernard: 6,5 The past few weeks have undoubtedly not been the best of Bernard's season so far. He remained largely pale and had no goals or assists in the statistics. However, the captain's value cannot be measured in numbers alone: his strengths in backward movement, his penalty killing and his exemplary effort are still worth their weight in gold.

Daniel Catenacci: 8,5 Even if he doesn't score as regularly as he did at the start of the season, Catenacci is still one of the most important players in coach Greg Ireland's squad. His technique, his approach to goal and his effort put every defense to a tough test. The 12-time NHL player has matured into a real support and has long been an integral part of the scoring lines.

Ivan Deluca: 7,5 The 23-year-old from Vipiteno has shown an explosive rise in form since Christmas. Since then he has recorded 3 goals and 5 assists, making him one of the best scorers on the team in recent weeks. The trend shows: If Deluca has a high level of self-confidence and unrestricted support from the bench, then he can also become a top performer in Bolzano.

Brett Findlay: 9 There is a lot of debate in ice hockey about the significance of plus-minus statistics. In the case of Findlay, however, it provides an absolutely realistic picture: the noble technician has the best value in the league at +26, which means he is primarily on the ice when goals are scored, which is again due to Findlay himself. With 13 points in 11 games, he was also Bolzano's most successful scorer in January. His absence was noticeable in the most recent two bankruptcies.

Daniel Frank: 8 Frank, who has recently always been used in the first two offensive blocks, mostly alongside the Canadian and his congenial strike partner Dustin Gazley, also benefits from Findlay's mentioned skills. But Frank also makes his own contribution: he creates space and does the dirty work for his offensive colleagues. And by the way, he scored 7 points himself in the last few weeks.

Luca Frigo: 7 He is “Mister Reliable” at the HCB. Frigo hardly has any fluctuations in form: he goes extremely far game after game, can put his teammates in the spotlight and impresses with his passionate commitment, and not just when he's outnumbered. Ireland knows what he has in him.

Dustin Gazley: 9 HCB sports director Dieter Knoll rubbed his hands at Gazley's signing in the summer and said full of anticipation: “This is a great transfer. He will give the fans a lot of joy.” Knoll was right, because Gazley even managed to exceed expectations and gave the HCB a real weapon with his technique and shooting precision.

Stefano Giliati: 6,5 A man with his stick handling, agility and experience should actually be much more present on the scoreboard. Instead, he has only managed 3 points so far this year. However, Giliati is of great importance for the HCB game and at the same time partly responsible for the winning mentality that has developed within the team.

Mike Halmo: 6,5 With him, light and shadow continue to alternate - which means that Mike Halmo, who fans remember from the 2017/18 championship season, is still sorely missed. If he manages to avoid the opponents' provocations and keep his nerves in check, he could once again prove to be a decisive factor in Bolzano's hunt for the title.

Marco Insam: 7 Whether in the power play, as an additional defender or as a space opener on the offensive – the former Finland legionnaire is an integral part of the Bolzano line-up. His strength is his hard hitting slap shot, but he could definitely use it more often. In the entire month of January he only managed 22 shots on goal.

Angelo Miceli: 8 The Kalterer by choice hid in the shadows of Findlay, Gazley and Co. for months, only to turn it up in a big way in the new year. Again and again he causes unrest, allows opponents to get out elegantly and also hits the mark - as was extremely impressive against Salzburg. However, there is still room for improvement in his own efficiency and his eye for his teammates.

Simon Pitschieler: 7 The patience that his coach gave him as advice before the start of the season and which he is practicing with flying colors seems to be paying off. Pitschieler's playing time is increasing and with it his bold presence in the Bolzano offensive game. This brought the young man from Val Gardena one goal and two assists last month. Its development has just begun.

>>> Click here for the December report card from the HCB

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: Not all that glitters is gold

Despite the two most recent bankruptcies, HCB Südtirol Alperia is still the measure of all things in the ICE Hockey League. But a look at the performance certificate of the white and red cracks shows: It can be even better.

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