DIt was clear after the final whistle that the bitter 3:4 in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) would not leave too much of a mark on the lions. The players around captain Reid McNeill reacted calmly after the first DEL defeat against Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven. In the 5-2 win on Friday at the Grizzlys Wolfsburg, the Löwen still turned the game in their favor – now it went the other way around. “We have to learn to better control our emotions and keep the momentum of the game on our side. That’s a great lesson,” the captain said of the game.
Controlling emotions will be one lesson, but the Leos also need to change their power distribution. Because the strength dwindled the Frankfurters noticeably, while the Bremerhaven could attack again and again dangerously in the second and in the last third.
A smart step backwards
In addition to collective development, team sport also includes individual development: McNeill now wants to develop in his new role as captain. He had not previously held the post. “It’s a process for me and also a very nice way to grow as a captain. But I don’t have to lead the team alone. We get along well with each other, with many players who can lead the way.”
In order to finally assert himself in the first division, the 30-year-old has taken what appears to be a clever step backwards. He moved to Frankfurt from those same Fischtown Pinguins in February during the current second division season. In the play-offs he became a regular right away and always gave the Löwen defense the stability it needed. Even if he was hardly used in Bremerhaven in the DEL due to a few injuries, McNeill can already look back on more than 290 games in the second-rate North American American Hockey League (AHL), mostly for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
It was not until 2018 that he played his first European season with the Austrian club Dornbirner EC. He came to Bremerhaven via a station in Denmark with the Herning Blue Fox. “Reid does his job very well, his signing was a stroke of luck for us,” said Löwen sports director Franz-David Fritzmeier of the FAZ
“I’ve always tried not to play fancy and want to play as simply as possible,” said McNeill. The fact that coach Gerry Fleming also counts on the services of the “simple player” McNeill can be seen from his playing time after only two match days. Fleming basically relied on five of the seven available pros in defense for the first weekend – McNeill was one of them.
time for development
In addition, Maximilian Gläßl, Davis Vandane, Reece Scarlett and Kevin Maginot got seasons. The young Paul Reiner and Daniel Wirt, who is expected to make a breakthrough this year in Frankfurt, were only very rarely allowed onto the ice. Was that too much for the five pros at the end of the day? The coach says no. “We have to be more compact on the ice. Playing with five defenders wasn’t the problem.”
The opposing offensive lines are strong, the young defenders should slowly get used to the DEL level. Fritzmeier said: “Unfortunately, Simon Sezemsky is still injured at the moment, but hopefully he’ll be available again soon.” The 29-year-old defender Sezemsky also has DEL experience from over 200 games.
However, the lions proved one thing, and that will also help them next weekend in the game against Iserlohn and the difficult away game with one of the championship contenders from Berlin: the team play is excellent. No wonder, because the players also get along very well off the ice. But so that not only the mood stays up, but also the score can be increased, a few development steps are still necessary.
Impulse control, not giving up your strength in the first third with a loudly cheering audience and more skill in dealing with tours are the keywords here. Nevertheless, that doesn’t matter too much, because the team has proven that they can keep up with the so-called top teams, like Wolfsburg are undoubtedly one.
The lions back in the DEL, McNeill in Frankfurt. That also applies to him personally. “I feel very comfortable in Frankfurt, it’s nice to be able to call this city my home. I also know a few people in the league who are happy that Frankfurt is back,” he said – and looked forward to the end of the day and the DEL games next weekend.
