Overtime | Of nimble snakes and sluggish lions

The rising star Jacob Smith (HC Pustertal) He had enough of his reserve role, took a step back, made a lot of attempts and is now back stronger than ever: Jacob Smith. The Italian-Canadian, who played for HC Bozen for the first time in 2016 and left for the Alps Hockey League for three years after two more seasons with the Foxes, is one of the few bright spots of the badly hit HC Pustertal - and proof that they are also legionnaires the AlpsHL in the ICE Hockey League. Smith was preferred three times this season to Tomas Sholl, Pustertal's regular number 1. It may be a coincidence that the Wolves achieved their only two wins of the season with him in the box, but a catch rate of 95,5 percent shows how strong he is 27-year-old has held up so far. With his spectacular style, which has developed enormously since his time at HCB, Smith defused 106 of the 111 shots that came his way. To say that he overshadows Sholl at this early stage of the season isn't presumptuous. Smith showed his most recent brilliant performance in the home game against the Graz 99ers when he celebrated his first shutout. The fact that Wolves' general performance has been significantly better when Smith has been in the box obviously plays a role. Sholl, on the other hand, was often let down. It is unclear what the reasons for this are. What is certain, however, is that “Jake the Snake” is Pustertal’s best player to date. The relegated one Asiago Hockey (ICEHL) No, this is certainly not how Asiago imagined its entry into the ICE Hockey League. After an encouraging start, the reigning champions of the Alps Hockey League are currently staggering from one defeat to the next and are at the bottom of the table in the cross-border championship with just three points. What head coach Tom Barrasso is currently worried about is a defensive group that doesn't seem to be up to this league - and is the reason for the many bankruptcies. While the offensive record is impressive with 18 goals in seven games, the Lions urgently need to improve their defense. An average of 4,6 goals conceded per game is far too many to win games. The two goalies, Gianluca Vallini and Justin Fazio, have so far been just as unconvincing as the defenders around ex-Ritten crack Randy Gazzola. The fact that star striker Francesco Mascherin is still out with a shoulder injury further exacerbates the situation. This week's promotion to the semi-finals of the Continental Cup will certainly give the newcomer to the league new impetus. But whether this is enough to eliminate the obvious, playful deficiencies is questionable. Marco Magnabosco & Co. will get their next assessment on Friday when the league leaders from Bolzano visit the Hodegart Stadium.

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Overtime | Of nimble snakes and sluggish lions

Just in time for Tuesday evening it's back, the new SportNews Overtime. Today: A goalie who almost overtakes his “superior” and a team that can’t get off the ground.

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