There were just under four minutes left on the clock when Yasin Ehliz was up and running away. The EHC Red Bull Munich attacker used his speed and then delicately lifted the disc over the shoulder of Marvin Cüpper, goalkeeper of the Löwen Frankfurt. You can hardly play a solo effort more calmly. Ehliz’s 99th goal in the EHC jersey sealed Munich’s 5-2 victory on Sunday, which was good for them after a stuttering start to the new season of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL).
How good Ehliz is for the EHC became clear throughout the match day weekend. On Friday in Straubing, Ehliz prepared the 1-0 advantage in the derby against the Tigers (24th) and then made it 2-0 (28th). But even he couldn’t prevent Munich from losing 4-2. On Sunday, Ehliz continued his strong performance. The national player was on the ice when the Hessians made it 1-0 through Cameron Brace (8th), but he then presented himself dangerously in the offensive zone, played physically and showed his class shortly before the first period break when he scored a quick one The attack was refined with a direct cross pass, so that Chris DeSousa had the empty goal in front of him at the second post and had no problems making it 2-2 (19′).
Teammates jokingly nicknamed Ehliz the “one-man army.”
Ehliz is particularly enjoying moments like this at the moment because he has had difficult months behind him. Even before the start of the last playoffs, when he was named DEL player of the year after an outstanding main round, he was plagued by physical problems. Like many ice hockey professionals, the 30-year-old bit his teeth in the playoffs and made an important contribution to Munich’s first championship in five years. Immediately after the playoff final against ERC Ingolstadt, the attacker was supposed to join the national team, but an upper body injury prevented him from taking part in the World Cup in Finland and Latvia, which ended with the German team winning the silver medal. Missing the World Cup was like a blow for Tölzer, “I really wanted to be there,” he said.
Even over the summer, his physical condition did not improve as he would have liked. “It took forever,” he said, and it was “really hard” on his head because he had never had such a long rehabilitation phase in his career and didn’t know what the healing process would be like. Ehliz missed most of the preparation for the season, the first games in the Champions Hockey League (CHL) and also the first two DEL games. EHC coach Toni Söderholm emphasized that it wasn’t an easy task for him mentally, but he went through the rehabilitation process in an “exemplary” manner. Ehliz recently celebrated his comeback in the home game against the Kölner Haie, and although it was his first game in almost five months and Ehliz himself said that he would probably need another game or two to “get his playing condition back”, Söderholm was right away satisfied with him. You can see the experience in his game, emphasized the former national coach, and “you can see that his body is also taking part.”
This is Ehliz’s greatest asset. The attacker is one of Munich’s smallest players, but is so strong and explosive that his teammates Patrick Hager and Maximilian Kastner jokingly gave him the nickname “one-man army”. “You can always send Yasin forward, he wins almost every target and almost every duel,” explained Kastner. And he creates offense, which the EHC, which is still looking for its form, can particularly need. With these positive experiences, Ehliz goes into a special game on Tuesday. Then the EHC welcomes the Nuremberg Ice Tigers (4.30 p.m.), where Ehliz started his DEL career. To score his 100th EHC goal in the derby, which is so special for him personally, that would be something.
