When the Steinbach Black Wings meet their table neighbors Olimpija Ljubljana away on Friday evening (7:15 p.m., in the live ticker on ), two Linzers will feel at home. The two Slovenians Ken Ograjensek and Luka Maver know Hala Tivoli like the back of their hands because they were part of the organization for years.
It was five years for Ograjensek, who brought the Linz team to winning ways in Feldkirch with a 2-0 win. The 33-year-old has ten points scorer (four goals, six assists) after eleven games for the Black Wings.
“I’m a Ljubljana kid”
Luka Maver was even born in Ljubljana, first started playing ice hockey in his hometown at Slavia Ljubljana and then played for Olimpija for five years before moving to college in North America at the age of 16. “I think you could say that I’m a Ljubljana kid,” laughs the Slovenian. He returns as an opponent on Friday. “It’s always special to play there. The whole family and many of my childhood friends come to watch,” says the 27-year-old, who, together with captain Brian Lebler, is at the top of the internal shooting list with seven goals.
It will be about small details that always play a role in away games. “We have to do our best,” says Maver. The center forward is experiencing a week with three home games, although Linz has to get on the team bus twice.
In Feldkirch, where Maver played for the past two years before moving to Linz, he was welcomed with warm words by his former teammates. “I forgive him for exploding so much in Linz,” said Kevin Macierzynski in an interview before the 2-0 defeat against Linz.
After tomorrow’s game in Maver’s birthplace and hometown, the Black Wings will play at home against Villacher SV on Sunday – in the striker’s adopted hometown. “Crazy, I hadn’t even thought about this home game treble.”
One day before the official farewell from professional sports, we chat with Patrick Spannring, who won the championship with the Black Wings in his rookie season and was most recently at the target for the Pioneers Vorarlberg.
