For the first time since 2007 (and the second time in team history overall) the Devils made it to the semifinals in Austria’s highest federal women’s league (DEBL), finally winning the bronze medal.
© Eliteprospects
A Strange Kind of…
There once was a woman
A strange kind of woman
The kind that gets written down in history
Deep Purple (Gillan/Blackmore/Glover/Lord/Paice)
Strange, weird or probably extraordinary for sure are the attributes that come to mind, thinking of the 2020/21 hockey season. At least for those teams that were able (and allowed) to practice and play - in Austria, due to the ongoing CoViD-19 pandemic only federal hockey leagues were allowed to play, all province/state leagues were stalled in October/November 2020.
But this post should mainly not be about CoViD-19 caused impairments and restrictions. Focus here is on the Devils’ team in particular and (women’s) hockey in general - some remarks on the pandemic’s influence seem de rigeur, anyway.
A Cheerful and Hairy Ending
Let’s put the cart in front of the horse and start with March 14, 2021, the end of the season. The Devils have just won the second bronze medal game against the joint team from Kitzbühel/Kufstein by 5:2. The home win was the second within 24 hours, the Devils had already won the first (away) game the day before (3:1). The greatest success in recent team history. And it had some visible impact on my look 🙂
Indeed, after the improvised haircut/shave (of course, our captain was the one to go ahead - see left) my hair was virtually gone. Well deserved by the girls, though slightly painful for me - coaches out there, take a pair of sharp scissors with you whenever you head for a final game! Believe me, it cannot save your hair, but the cut is much more comfortable. Lesson learned…
But only shortly after all the cheering and celebrations it was time to rethink matters: how did we finally get to where we are right now. I started thinking - was it mere luck? To which extent was I, having been the Devils’ head coach now for three years (and working with the team since 2016), responsible for the achievement? Did CoViD-19 implications play a role? Did we just luckily, at the right time, have the best players at hand? Time to analyze…
Off- and Pre-Season
Already our pre-season training was heavily influenced by the overall (i.e. pandemic) situation as we were forced to start with our off-ice practices one month late and virtually all stick handling and shooting practice had to be abandoned as we were not allowed to enter any appropriate premises for (joint) practicing. So we focused on power, strength, endurance and coordination exercises.
Moreover we had, for the first time, teamed up with these expert guys to diagnose each players performance and hence develop individual practice plans. Something still pretty uncommon in Austrian women’s hockey, but well worth the effort and a distinct step towards professionalism. Endurance and strength developed back then really made a difference towards the end of the season.
Traditionally the Devils go for a training camp in mid-Septmber, needless to say that this season (guess why…) we had to cancel it. At least a few days of intensified practicing in Graz were organized instead. Personally I consider these camps absolutely inevitable, if not for player development at least for team building. Even more in our case (more on that shortly).
Regular Season
The first games of the regular season were characterized by scoring problems, leading to unfortunate losses and some frustration. Already then it became clear that the presence or absence of some key players will make a huge difference during the season. Only after 3 games played the CoViD-19 pandemic hit. Not only that during the following weeks 2 players would get infected, but three key players working in the medical sector (including the then point leader) decided to end the season, due to the extremely high risk of importing the virus to hospitals (or vice versa from ICU’s to the team).
Soon after that the league decided to split up into an Austrian and a Hungarian group playing the regular season games only within these groups.
After a short break the league started over and now the Devils proved to be reedy. Both games against the main contender for a playoff spot, Vienna’s Caps/Flyers, were won, setting the basis for entering the post-season. A somewhat remarkable game was the away game in Kitzbühel, as the Devils’ lineup was made up of only 1 GK and 8 skaters, one of them getting injured in the first period. Needless to say we lost (0:6). Finally, after adding the Hungarian and the Austrian results it turned out we finished 4th (same amount of points as the Caps/Flyers, but two wins against them). So - playoffs, here we come!
Post-Season
In-between the the regular season and the playoffs we played the qualification for the all-Austrian championship (ÖSM), resulting in two losses and one victory. As for the ÖSM all EWHL-eligible players were playing for the respective EWHL-teams these results were expected, but the games were a perfect preparation for the playoffs.
Due to (yes, again) CoViD-19 the league decided to reduce the amount of games by canceling the semifinals and only play the bronze medal games between the 3rd (Kitzbühel) and the 4th (Devils) in best of two mode and the finals between Neuberg Highlanders (1st) and KMH Budapest (2nd) in a best of three series.
The plan was to have the bronze medal games played within one weekend (one home, one away game or two games at the same place). Kitzbühel refused to have 2 games at the same place so we ended up playing one game in Kitzbühel on Saturday and the second one in Graz on Sunday. Not the perfect setting (given the short break inbetween and the 5h bus ride between Kitzbühel and Graz), but incidentally this led to the situation that also the U16 players from the Styrian Hockey Academy (EAS were able to at least participate in the second game (see also below).
Although again playing the away game with only 10 skaters this time after a lot of effort and fight the result was a 3:1 victory and for the first time the team realized something great was underway.
In the home game then, with almost all players on board the team quickly made clear this time they by no means would lose grip on the bronze medal. The result (5:2) was rather flattering for the opponents, two stupid power play goals just proved there is much room for improvement in penalty killing. Remarkably 5 different players scored for the Devils.
The Coaching Team
Over the years we’ve managed to build up a coaching team that covers all aspects of training, coaching and team management. Probably the missing piece of the puzzle was the engagement of Matthias Kainz, former U20 player with the Graz 99ers, as an additional assistant coach. He finally is the one who can actively demonstrate each and every skating and stick handling detail. So right now the coaching team is made up from Michael Friedl, team manager, rookie coach and generally helper in several training situations, Florian Zeugswetter, rookie and goalkeeper coach, Verena Lemesch, assistant coach, also responsible for off-ice activities and the coordination of athletics with strengthening coach Martin Sendlhofer (of Sportpark Graz). And, of course, Matthias. What an awesome bunch!
And finally, there’s me. Still in charge of the head coach job, though probably slowly moving on, becoming more and more sort of a GM. As a matter of fact I haven’t hit the ice since December 2020 due to injuries and ongoing muscular problems. But leading practices from the bench feels rather weird to me. Only time will tell how things will evolve, but there’s still a lot I have in mind… And finally, I am responsible for this team and this is all that matters.
Team Building & Players
As is the case with most women’s teams in Austria the Devils struggle with the limited amount of skilled players available. Moreover quite a few of our players simply don’t live in the surroundings of Graz, due to jobs, education, etc. This implies that these players only occasionally can practice with the team, most of the time they practice with teams close to where they live. On the other hand this also leads to the situation that only few players show up for team practicing regularly, which extremely limits the coach’s possibilities.
Additionally some of our junior players also played with the U16 boys’ team (eventually winning the Austrian championship) and some of them compete with different teams in the multi-national EWHL, the highest women’s league in central Europe, too.
From a coach’s perspective it became clear that the most important part therefore would be to craft a team from a bunch of talented players that mainly practice with different teams (of different quality). Quite different from the usual approaches. But the limited amount of players gave us the opportunity to individually work on the respective player’s skill set. And from a tactical viewpoint it was clear that KISS (keep it simple and stupid) would be the the only promising strategy.
So we followed the track that we had already laid within the preceding seasons, practicing a few basic tactics and moves with the core bunch of players who finally automated these. Quite important, these tactics and moves were so basic that the other players could be added to the system easily with only a few days of practice.
The outcome of this strategy can be read from team statistics. Fairly good in 5 on 5, mediocre penalty killing (we will have to work hard on this!) and finally less than satisfying power play. The latter of course requests a lot more practice with key players (e.g. those that have the individual skill sets to successfully play the power play), but given the above facts this seems rather awkward.
But how about team structure? Indeed the team spirit is absolutely marvelous, so focusing on team building in hindsight seems to have been a good idea. Some of the players make huge efforts to be able to play with the team, even though they could do so with other teams much more easily. They come to play games from all over Austria and in one case even from Germany. Every player will fight hard for the team and any other player. This is quite remarkable given the fact that many players only meet once in a while.
Moreover the team is made up from players with completely different (hockey) backgrounds and ages. There’s the group of longtime players who partly have played with the Devils for more than a decade. Supported by players that ended up with the team because their Studies led them to Graz. We have a few players that, coming from other sports, had all their player development in the Devils organization. Many of the key players are still pretty young, having a professional hockey development background and playing in various teams, including Austria’s U18 and senior national teams. Some of the players come from our partner team the Sabres Vienna. And all that grew together to build one single team, willing to go through thick and thin.
BTW: Our youngest player is just about 12 and it took her only a few games to become an important team member, already showing excellent skating skills and a good hockey sense and scoring 2 points (1G, 1A) in her first 8 senior games.
Last, not least, this successful season would not have taken place without our (14 yo) goalkeeper, a loan player from the Vienna Tigers. Her talent, skills and (given her age) routine more than once saved the team from losing a game.
The League (DEBL) & Women’s Hockey in Austria
A lot on that has already been said in StEHV’s Overtime Podcast (in german), still some remarks remain. The DEBL has been undergoing a huge shift within the last years, slowly replacing skilled hobbyist players by players who underwent (or still undergo) professional hockey development (mainly within boys’ junior teams). Moreover, addition of Hungarian teams increased the level of playing even further. The main problem right now is the limited amount of practicing times (twice a week is what most DEBL teams can afford), limited mainly by economic constraints, but also the amount of time players can (or are willing to) afford besides their jobs and/or educational occupations.
For players pursuing a future international professional (e.g. within the Swedish SDHL) or high-level amateur career (e.g. within the NCAA) this is far from being sufficient. So these player have to rely on practice with other teams, be it with the (male) junior teams of the regional hockey academies or teams playing in the EWHL (though even these usually only practice twice a week, at least in Austria). Also, the number of games per season is way too low, though this, too, is due to the above implications.
This situation and the above remarks on team and players clearly show that it’s time to take the next steps for further league and sports development (see below - Conclusions).
Another important factor is the evolution of the number of female players in Austria generally and the province of Styria particularly. Unfortunately the latter is highly disappointing, while generally in Austria the number of female players markedly increases, in Styria (and particularly in the area of Graz) the numbers are in steady decline.
What’s wrong? Pretty difficult to say, IMHO it’s a mix of different reasons. Probably a lack of role models, hockey still being generally considered a “boys’ game”, hockey still being a minority sport in many parts of Austria (thus generally restricting the number of junior players).
But even girls deciding to play hockey often face tough times. Of course their (parents’) financial contribution for the teams is welcome, but pretty soon they realize that at some point or the other they’re bound to be the fifth wheel on the wagon. Truth is the latter is highly dependent of the respective coaches in charge. If they manage to support the girls or at least treat them equally compared to the boys, at least some in-depth player development is possible. My urgent advice for all coaches out there is to respect the girls and offer them the same opportunities and the same support they offer to male players. Even if their management considers girls “not being their main target group”.
And my advice to (future) parents: Let your kids try whatever sport they want to experience. Get rid of obsolete prejudices on “boys’” or “girls’” sports!
Conclusions & Outlook
So what can we take from this, in many respects, unique season? First of all the Devils made a big step forward as a team, still leaving room for even better results in coming seasons. Secondly, the young, professionally developed, key players finally make a difference, without these no team can compete in the league. This also implies that right now, due to the lack of female junior players and moreover the lack of practice times the development of female junior players relies on the professional work done in the hockey academies’ junior teams. This basically means that the future of women’s teams relies on a (player) base developed outside their influence.
How to deal with this situation? Two possibilities show up: either the women’s teams start their own youth development program (as did the Ice Cats Linz) or to team up with the youth organization of a professional male hockey team, probably even becoming a subsidiary thereof. (Much) more on this in a future post.
So what will the future bring? We will probably see the last appearance of most of the Devils’ players from the 2003 and 2004 age groups in an Austrian league (at least for some time), most of them will certainly make it into College or semi-professional hockey. One or two junior players will make their first appearance in senior hockey. Hopefully the team will continue to improve, as there’s still a challenge left, the first ever DEBL championship for the Devils. 🏒
