“A year ago we didn’t have a player under contract”

S+:The first weeks and months after joining the ICEHL were turbulent. What was the biggest challenge last summer?

Erich Falkensteiner: “For us there were several challenges on different fronts. On the one hand, in terms of structure, organization and economics, on the other hand, in terms of sport and, last but not least, the completion of the Intercable Arena and the move from the old to the new stadium. Luckily, I had a lot of competent and hard-working people at my side who pulled the strings in the background while I mainly represented the club externally.”

What do you understand by structure, organization and profitability?

“First of all, we had to find people who would support our project and support us. As far as the office is concerned, we made two lucky moves with Emanuela Marcati and Michael Ranalter. We also needed countless volunteers: from the park rangers to the security guards. Thank you all at this point. We had to increase the budget three times compared to the Alps Hockey League. While we previously had 2 euros, we needed 3 million euros in the ICEHL. Our sponsorship manager, Martin Casanova, has done a great job in this regard.”

HC Pustertal has had a strong season. © Foppa Ivan

Will the budget be increased for the coming season?

“I can proudly say that we got through the first season with a clean sheet. And that despite Corona and all other difficulties. Matthias Harasser, who is responsible for accounting and controlling, played a major role in this. He kept an eye on every single euro. If the conditions are right, we would like to increase the budget by 10 percent starting in the fall. On the one hand, we hope that the sponsors will continue to be loyal to us. On the other hand, we would like to increase the number of business club members from 200 to 250.”

Let's get back to the sport: How big was the challenge there?

“It was huge. A year ago at this time we didn't have a single player under contract. I didn't even know our sports director Patrick Bona back then, but I've come to appreciate him now. He has great ice hockey knowledge and did an excellent job. In this context, I would not like to forget our former coach Luciano Basile, who helped us a lot in putting together the squad. We had consistently strong players in the team. They may not have been outstanding in terms of play, but they never gave up.”

And the completion of the arena including the move?

“In this regard, my thanks go to the Bruneck municipal utilities and “Bruneck aktiv” as well as Ivo Pezzei, who left nothing to chance. Managing director Jochen Schenk was in charge of preparing for the new season: what he achieved was enormous.”

It's been a good 2 months since the last game. What is your summary after HC Pustertal's first season in the ICEHL?

“The bottom line is that it was a positive season, even though the quarter-final exit against Fehervar was very painful. But you have to say that the Hungarians were better than us. But we were also lucky. In retrospect, the change of coach in November turned out to be the right thing to do. After the series of defeats we had to do something, otherwise the fans would have left us. After the unfortunate Luciano Basile, Raimo Helminen was of course a stroke of luck. As well as the fact that we had few serious injuries throughout the season. Responsible for this was our fitness trainer Renè Baur, who laid the foundation with hard dry training in the summer. But the physiotherapists and the medical department also did an excellent job.”

What could have been done better in retrospect?

“Something was missing in the play-offs. Something must have happened. After two wins in the regular season, we had no chance against Fehervar at the crucial moment. I think we also need to continue to improve in the organization.”

What was your personal highlight?

“There were several highlights for me. I will never forget the first game in Bratislava when the players called me into the locker room after the final siren and handed me the puck with which Johan Harju scored our first goal in the ICEHL. By then it was clear to me that we had arrived in the league. A highlight at the beginning of the year was the game against Dornbirn, when five of our strikers were infected with the coronavirus and we still won 5-5.”

And the 3 wins against HCB Südtirol?

“They were nice, of course, but not necessarily a highlight for me. I think it's good that there are 2 strong teams and a healthy rivalry in South Tyrol. After the defeats, I noticed that managing director Dieter Knoll was very disappointed and annoyed. I almost felt sorry for him. After all, next season it could be exactly the opposite.”

Interview: Kurt Platter

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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“A year ago we didn’t have a player under contract”

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