Villach expert Quendler: Bozen is favorite, chances are 60:40

SportNews.bz: Mr. Quendler, what are the strengths of Villacher SV?

Martin Quendler (Kleine Zeitung): Villach has some very good individual players, such as John Hughes and Derek Ryan. They enjoy the coach's full trust and receive a relatively large amount of ice time from coach Hannu Järvenpää. In the series against the Vienna Capitals, for example, Hughes once stood on the ice for two and a half minutes without interruption. I think that in a game the first line is on the ice for an estimated 30 minutes, the second line is on the ice for between 17 and 18 minutes.

It almost sounds as if Villach is dependent on Hughes and Ryan...

The very good offense concealed many of the problems that Villach had in the first half in terms of build-up and defense. Building up the game from the back didn't work and Villach conceded a lot of goals. It was instructed that the attackers at the front score the goals. Since the Olympic break, Villach has gotten these problems under control. The team is now much more secure at the back and the top guys like Hughes and Ryan are working a lot more towards the back. Villach is a team again.

Statistics at hand, goalkeeper Lamoureux is also an extremely reliable support and is undoubtedly one of the strengths of the traditional Carinthian club.

Lamoureux is also back in top form just in time for the playoffs. He conceded a few goals in the regular half that were his fault. But since the playoffs started, he has exuded a lot of confidence again. Lamoureux is a loner, he doesn't always travel with the team and isolates himself. With Markus Kerschbaumer, he has his own, perhaps the best, goalie coach at his side, with whom Lamoureux often trains alone. Lamoureux also kept this opportunity to work with this goalkeeper coach in Villach, even though he could have played in other, higher-class leagues.

What are the weak points of the SAAM? The Vienna Capitals tried a very physical style of play in the series. The people of Villach expected this. This tactic didn't work for the Viennese, the top players swallowed the checks and still scored. If a team combines well and quickly or manages to circulate the disc, then this poses problems for the Villach defense. But I think that HCB Südtirol plays a bit too straight and therefore won't pose too many problems for VSV here. When it comes to outnumbered situations, Villach is not very vulnerable. They had a good penalty-killing record against Vienna.

How do you think the series between HCB Südtirol and Villacher SV will end?

That's very difficult to say, also because the character of a team changes in the playoffs. As a Carinthian, I of course hope that Villach wins. But Bolzano has had an amazing season so far, is a tremendous asset to the EBEL and has integrated itself very well into the league. I hope that it stays that way in the future. Villach had ups and downs in the regular season, but Vienna was already a decent benchmark in the quarter-finals and VSV has definitely made it into the playoffs. What speaks for Villach is certainly the best-of-five mode in which the semi-finals are played. A preliminary decision can be made in the first game. But in my opinion the slight favorite is still Bolzano. I see the chances at 60:40 for the Foxes.

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Villach expert Quendler: Bozen is favorite, chances are 60:40

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