Release from 27.11.2024

Brian Lebler on the Black Wings' upswing: “Small details make the difference”

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With six wins in a row and 17 out of a possible 18 points, the Steinbach Black Wings Linz are currently the “hottest” team in the win2day ICE Hockey League. This Wednesday, however, the fifth-placed team will be put to the test as the Upper Austrians play at league leaders Hydro Fehérvár AV19 (19:15/live.ice.hockey). Prior to that, captain and Linz veteran Brian Lebler gave an insight into his team's current run of success in an interview.

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“I think it's just because the guys are all getting into the system and taking care of the little details,” said the 36-year-old, explaining the reasons for the run of success. “And yes, we've had some puck luck, which which obviously helps.”

However, the Black Wings' start to the season was anything but ideal, with four defeats in a row before they found their rhythm and have since worked their way up to fifth place in the table. It was important for Lebler to keep calm: “Every season has ups and downs. It depends on how you deal with them. We worked hard every day and tried to get the job done. We knew we had a good team to be successful and we had that inner belief. We just kept going.”

The captain believes that focusing on the details is an important key to success, especially in such a busy fixture list: “It's the little things. With so many games played, all the clubs are tired. It's the little details and mistakes that count in the end and make the difference. If we are mentally prepared and focus on our game, that will help us.”

Lebler, who is already playing his thirteenth season in Linz, is also in outstanding personal form. With ten goals this season, he is currently the league's top goalscorer along with four other players. The 36-year-old has scored five goals in the last five games alone, which is why he has made a significant contribution to the team's success, but still remains modest: “It's nice to help out offensively, to win some games and stuff. But the idea I got to focus on is just playing my game and playing it hard and playing it the right way. And if you know you get rewarded, that's a bonus. But at the end of the day, it's about that the team wins.”

The Black Wings celebrated all six victories in a row within eleven days after the international break - a challenging time in which, according to Lebler, regeneration was the key to success: “Rest is major importance in that one. You know you are trying to sleep on the bus when you can, get sleeps when you get home, take care of the body, treatment, different things to make sure you're ready for the next game.”

The Upper Austrians will not be able to take a breather, as they have another three games on the schedule this week. It kicks off on Wednesday with a tough away game at league leaders Hydro Fehérvár AV19, where the current winning streak will also be put to the test: “It's gonna be a tough game. It's always a tough game against them. It'll be our first time in their new barn, so it'll be interesting to see that. And yeah, before playing against them in their barn, they had a lot of energy and good atmosphere. I'm not sure what it's gonna be like tomorrow, but in a day, it's up to us to go in and play our game and not deviate from that. “

Hydro Fehérvár AV19 against Steinbach Black Wings Linz can be watched on Wednesday at 7:15 pm in the livestream on www.live.ice.hockey.

The entire interview with Brian Lebler: