Team spirit as the most important component / Goalkeeper Endras: “Augsburg a piece of home”
New coach, different location, ambitious goals: With national coach Marco Sturm as head coach of the national team, German ice hockey should get back on track. The first opportunity to do so will be on the 26th. Deutschland Cup (November 6th - 8th). The four-nation tournament will be held in Augsburg for the first time. In the Curt Frenzel Stadium, the opponents of the German team are Switzerland (November 6.11th, from 19.30:7.11 p.m.), Slovakia (November 17.30th, 8.11:16.30 p.m.) and Team USA (November 1th, XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.). All games will be broadcast live by SPORTXNUMX.
Sturm relies on a mix of national team returnees, experienced players and young talents in his 27-man squad. Only Brooks Macek (Iserlohn Roosters) and goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger (Düsseldorfer EG) do not yet have any international matches to show for it. Like Leonhard Pföderl (Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers), Niederberger was nominated by Sturm, after the attacker André Rankel (Eisbären Berlin) and goalkeeper Timo Pielmeier (ERC Ingolstadt) had to cancel their participation at short notice.
“I’m happy that it’s finally starting,” said Sturm at today’s press conference in the Dorint Hotel Augsburg: “I have had many conversations with players, those responsible and coaches in the past few weeks and months since I took office. Now the sporting challenges begin. We are ready.” On Tuesday afternoon, the new coach and his assistant coaches Christof Kreutzer (Düsseldorfer EG) and Serge Aubin (Hamburg Freezers) for the first joint unit.
“I admit that I'm a little nervous. That was me even when I was a player. “Standing on the ice or now on the boards is what I like to do best,” says the 37-year-old former NHL star, feeling a certain anticipation for the internationally renowned tournament in the Fuggerstadt.
Of course the goal is to win the title Deutschland Cup pick up. Sturm: “This is our only home tournament and first place would be for us and them Fans Of course, a great success.” The national coach is more interested in the overall performance of his boys than the pure results: “A lot will be new for the team and we only have three sessions before the first game. It is therefore important that we present ourselves as a unit. Especially at international level, a compact appearance is the basic requirement.” Passion, discipline and especially team spirit are necessary for this. “That’s what I learned and I want to see that from my team too.”
Dennis Endras sees it that way too. “We have extremely strong opponents in front of us in Switzerland, Slovakia and the Americans. We have to be ready from the start. Internationally, everything goes a step faster.” For the goalkeeper of the reigning German champions Adler Mannheim is the new venue of the Deutschland Cups also the return to his old place of work. “Augsburg is like a piece of home for me. I had great years here at the start of my DEL career and I’m really looking forward to returning to the Curt Frenzel Stadium.”