On Sunday afternoon, Uwe Krupp had no particular interest in telling the public his thoughts about the Kölner Haie’s first play-off game. “I hope this isn’t misunderstood, but I don’t want to comment on the series at all. We’re in a best-of-three series, and that’s a quick series. I think there is enough time after the last game to analyze how things went,” said the Haie coach at the press conference after the 5-1 win at ERC Ingolstadt.
You would have liked to know how your team could show two such different faces in one weekend. The Cologne team have been a surprise bag all season, but these days they took it to the extreme.
On Friday they lost 1:6 at home against Adler Mannheim in the last main round game of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) and were then whistled out of the hall. Two days later they dominated the Ingolstadt team at will. And if the Haie win at home this Wednesday (7.30 p.m. at Magentasport), the first play-off round will be over and Cologne will be in the quarter-finals. But as long as that isn’t certain, Krupp is holding back.
Someone else was more willing to provide information: Justin Schütz. “Today the forecheck was outstanding,” said the striker on the TV microphone. “We won the targets, were close to the man, made a lot of checks throughout the game.” This was especially true for Schütz himself and his teammates Alexandre Grenier and Gregor MacLeod. They lived up to their team name, chasing the Ingolstadt team like a swarm of sharks, causing them to lose the puck and looking for a direct route to the goal.
All five of Cologne’s goals were theirs, with Schütz alone scoring three times and setting up another goal. And perhaps even more impressive: With the 23-year-old on the ice, the goalscoring ratio was 20:2 for the Sharks. As soon as Schütz jumped over the boards, the game only knew one direction.
The striker of the year
This came as less of a surprise. The winger was already outstanding in the main round. Speed (top speed 36.8 kilometers per hour), commitment, understanding of the game, finishing – with 27 goals he became the league’s top scorer. That’s why he was named “DEL Striker of the Year” on Monday evening. Another milestone for someone who didn’t seem at all satisfied a little over a year ago. At that time, Schütz played for EHC Red Bull Munich. But there he was one of many, didn’t even get 13 minutes of ice time per game and was mostly found in the back rows.
Top scorer: Justin Schütz : Image: IMAGO/osnapix
It was already clear that he would look for something new. Especially since he would soon fall out of the U-23 rule, which is supposed to guarantee young players appearances. The question then arose as to what should happen next with Justin Schütz’s career: continue to be a role player or become a top striker somewhere else?
He was always like that in his youth. Starting with his hometown club from Kassel, he moved via Iserlohn to the Red Bull Academy in Salzburg at the age of 14 and was considered one of the greatest German striker talents. In 2018 he was even drafted by the Florida Panthers in the NHL draft. But nothing came of the dream of North America, and his path also seemed to have come to an end in Munich.
Shut up!
But since the end of January 2023, things suddenly started looking up. First he fought for a place in the front rows, then he became German champion and was even allowed to go to the world championships. Which came as a surprise to him, but was “an incredible experience,” as he said. Because he prevailed there too and won the silver medal with the national team.
He wanted to take this momentum with him to Cologne. And he succeeded. From the start, coach Krupp placed him in a top line alongside the North Americans Grenier and MacLeod. With every game the self-confidence grew. Which can also be seen in his statements. After the 6-1 loss against Mannheim, Schütz complained publicly about the Haie’s inconsistency: “It’s been like this all year. We concede a goal and then the shit starts all over again. It’s also a question of character.” Things have to be different in the play-offs.
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It did in the first game – thanks in part to his hat trick. This should continue on Wednesday evening, he said afterwards. “It’s about playing like that again – and not doing shit again.” If that works, Uwe Krupp will also have something to say about this series. Pretty sure Justin Schütz too.
