HC Eppan Pirates

Hockey Club Eppan Pirates
Greatest successes
Champion IHL 2018 Champion Series A2 2003, 2010, 2013, 2014 Master Series B 2002
Club information
history	HC Eppan (since 1981)
Location	Eppan on the Wine Route , Italy
Nickname	Pirates
Club colors	yellow blue
league	Italian Hockey League
Venue	Ice rink Eppan
capacity	approx. 1500 seats
executive Director	Philipp Waldthaler
Head coach	Tomáš Demel
captain	Tobias Ebner
2018/19	IHL, basic round: 3rd place, semi-finals

The HC Eppan Pirates is an Italian ice hockey club from Eppan on the Weinstrasse , which currently plays in the second highest Italian league, the Italian Hockey League . The greatest successes achieved so far in six seasons (2001/02, 2002/03, 2009/10, 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2017/18) were winning the championship in the second highest division. Most of the team's players come from and around the club's home community. There is a special rivalry to the pike of SV Kaltern Ice Hockey ( Überetscher Derby ), which is also located in the Überetsch and is located in the neighboring municipality of Kaltern . The club colors are yellow and blue .

history

The Hockey Club Eppan Pirates was founded on March 13, 1981. The 1983/84 championship was played at the home games on the ice rink in Auer; since the 1984/85 championship, it has been played on the artificial ice rink in Eppan, which was built between the summer of 1983 and autumn 1984 and covered in 1986.
Before the start of the championship, the club organizes the traditional memory tournament in memory of the players Pepi Pichler, Sigi Oberrauch and Josef Geyer (also known as the Pepi Pichler tournament before 2008 ). Pepi Pichler was buried by an avalanche on March 20, 1985 on Monte Pecol (Vigo di Fassa).
The club's best young players are awarded the Sigmund-Oberrauch challenge cup , also in memory of the player of the same name who died in an accident (helicopter crash on June 19, 1990 in Lana).

Ice rink Eppan

Venues

Home of the hockey club is the ice rink Eppan . The home stadium has a spectator capacity of about 1500 seats. For the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons, the naming rights were given to the company IC-iT Energy Solutions GmbH. As part of the naming process, a photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of the ice rink .

Farm team regulation

From the summer of 2009 HC Eppan was the farm team of the Serie A1 participant HC Bozen . The collaboration was initially terminated on August 29, 2010 and restarted on September 22, 2010. Since September 2011 the club has been without a farm team partner, as the previous farm team partner from Bolzano has connected with HC Pergine.

Ice stadium Eppan during the game HC Eppan against SV Kaltern

Team of the HC Eppan Pirates 2011

Sporting successes

• 1st place 1981/82 national league
• 1st place 1982/83 Series C
• 1st place 1984/85 Serie C
• 1st place 1986/87 Series C
• 1st place 1987/88 series B2
• 1st place 1989/90 series B2
• 1st place 1994/95 series B2
• 1st place 2001/02 Serie B
• 1st place 2002/03 A2 series
• 1st place 2009/10 Serie A2
• 1st place 2012/13 Series A2
• 1st place 2013/14 Series A2

Trainer

Coach history

For the 2018-2019 season, Tomas Demel was hired as a coach. Jarno Mensonen led the team through the 2018 playoffs. In the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 seasons, Robert Chizzali was the team's coach. He was able to lead her to the playofinals in 2017. After relegation in 2015 to the second division in the 2015-2016 season, Murajca Pajic headed the first team. For the participation in the Serie A 2014-2015 the coach Patrice Lefebvre was committed. Leigh Mendelson was the coach for the 2013–2014 season. Under his leadership the championship of the series A2 could be won again. Jarno Mensonen was signed after the 2010-2011 season. With him as coach, HC Eppan won the Series A2 championship in 2012-2013. Mensonen is the successor to Jari Helle , who was signed as head coach to replace Mike Ellis. With Mike Ellis , the team managed to reach first place in the table in 2010 in the A2 series and then to win the championship title in the playoffs.

time	nation	Trainer
1981-1983		Erich Orsi
1983-1984	,	Erich Orsi, Walter Demattia
1984-1985		Walter Demattia
1985-1986	,	Walter Demattia, Bernhard Mair
1986-1987		Marcel Sakáč
1987-1988		Nicolai Foderea
1988-1989		Chris Reynolds
1989-1990		Markus Egen
1990-1991		Adolf Insam
1991-1992		Petr Vrabec
1992-1993		Peter Bender
1993-1994		Rudi Tománek
1994-1996		Mike Murray
1996-1997		John Bellio
1997-1999		Egon Schenk
1999-2000		Brian de Bruyn
2000-2001		Michael Mair
2001-2002		Jari Helle
2002-2004		Mike Coflin
2004-2005		Brian de Bruyn
2005-2006		Greg Lindqvist
2006		Jari Helle
2006-2008		Doug Irwin
2008-2009		Rodolphe Garnier
2009-2011		Mike Ellis
2011		Jari Helle
2011-2013		Jarno Mensonen
2013-2014		Leigh Mendelson
2014-2015		Patrice Lefebvre
2015		Murajca Pajic
2016-2018		Robert Chizzali
2018		Jarno Mensonen
2018-2019		Tomáš Demel

Significant former players

• Jan Alston (1990-1991)
• Klaus Hofer (1994-2007)
• Evan Marble (2004-2005)
• Sigmund "Sigi" Oberrauch (1987–1990)
• Josef "Pepi" Pichler (1982–1985)
• Tony Tuzzolino (2010)

Web links

• Official website
• HC Eppan Pirates at sonice.it

Individual evidence

1. ↑ hcb.net: HC Bozen responds to the criticism of HC Eppan - August 31, 2010 ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ hcb.net: HC Bozen starts championship in Klobenstein  ( page can no longer be accessed , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ hcb.net: Pergine Solarplus becomes farm team of HC Bozen  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ sonice.it: Trainer of the HC Eppan Pirates