Bundesligameister (Bundesliga Champions)

With a record of 10-1 in the Damen Eishockey Bundesliga, the Neuberg Highlanders remain the defending champions of the league.  Since there are no playoffs in the league, the champion is decided by the number of points each team has.  With one game remaining in league play, the Highlanders have already been declared champions as we have 31 points for the season.  EHV Sabres Wien II are in second place with 23 points and are unable to catch the Highlanders in the standings. 

The Highlanders play the Sabres on Saturday in their final game of league play.  The Highlanders have been indomitable in the month of February as we beat HK Triglav Kranj, 4-1, on Feb. 4, and we recently defeated DEC Dragons Klagenfurt on Feb. 19, 9-2.

We traveled to Slovenia on Feb. 4 for a league battle against Triglav.  Both teams remained scoreless after the first period.  In the second period, Jennifer Pesendorfer scored the first goal for the Highlanders, but Triglav managed to score, tying the game 1-1 after the second period.  In the third period, the Highlanders scored three consecutive goals.  Pesendorfer contributed one goal, as I contributed the other two goals.  The oldest player (me - 23 years old) and the youngest player (Pesendorfer - 13 years old) scored two goals each in the match.

Photo Courtesy of neuberg-highlanders.at

On Sunday, the Highlanders proved to be the defending champions as we beat Klagenfurt on our home ice in Kapfenburg.  After the first period, the Highlanders finished with a 2-1 lead.  In the 13th minute, Klagenfurt scored to take a 1-0 lead, but the Highlanders responded scoring two straight goals before the end of the period.  Evelyn Hochegger and Sabrina Schlauer were credited with the goals.  In the second period, the Highlanders advanced their lead by three as Hochegger scored her second goal of the game, I scored the next goal, and Clara Willenshofer scored her first goal of the season to end the period.  With a 5-1 lead, the Highlanders continued to score four more goals in the third period and allowed only one goal for Klagenfurt.  Anna Johann, Jennifer Pesendorfer, and Julia Willenshofer each scored one goal in the third period, while I added my second goal of the game.

The Highlanders play in final match of the Bundesliga on Saturday against the Sabres in Kapfenburg at 4:15 p.m.

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"About Championships and Girls' Dreams"

About Championships and Girls' Dreams

16. Februar 2012

"I received some good news this week.  The Neuberg Highlanders won the championship of Bundesliga.  Since there are no playoffs in the league, the champion is decided by the number of points each team has.  We have the most points in the league so we are the champions.  Although we already won the championship, we still have one final game of the season.  We play Klagenfurt on Sunday in Kapfenberg.

As the season comes to an end, I have enjoyed playing on the Highlanders.  I will be even more excited playing in the last league game of the season because my parents will be able to watch the game live.  My parents are coming from America on Saturday and I’m looking forward to their visit.  They will get to see me play in Austria for the first time.  They haven’t watched me play eishockey since my last game in college on March 3.

When my parents arrive in Austria, I think they will be overwhelmed by how cold it is and how much snow has accumulated on the ground.  Despite this, I think they will enjoy their vacation.  We plan to tour Austria.  In addition, we are flying to Paris, France for a few days.  My mom has always dreamed of going to Paris, so I am happy that we can fulfill one of her dreams.  I can’t wait for my parents to come and keep me company in this German-speaking country.  It will also be nice to have a conversation with them in person rather than through email or on videochat.  We will also be in the same time zone so I won’t have to stay up late in order to talk to them."

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"Hemp Beer, Burgers, and the Super Bowl"

Hemp Beer, Burgers, and the Super Bowl

9. Februar 2012

"We won our 9th game in the Damen-Bundesliga on Saturday.  We beat HK Triglav 1:4.  Both my linemate, Jennifer Pesendorfer, and I scored two goals each.  The youngest and the oldest girls on the team scored in the game!

After the game, I rode in the car with Coach Werner and two other teammates back home.  We stopped at Hirter Brauerei on the way for dinner and drinks.  One of my teammates ordered me a type of bier, called Biohanfbier, that was made from an organic crop.  My teammates teased me and said I would get an intense feeling from drinking this bier made from hemp.  They clearly were joking and I continued on drinking the bier.  After finishing my natural bier, we proceeded on our journey home.

The next day was the National Football League’s Super Bowl!  My boyfriend and I celebrated the game at a friend’s apartment.  It seemed like an American night in Austria as we ate burgers and watched football on TV while an American flag hung from a cabinet in the apartment.  The game started at 6:30 p.m. in American Eastern Standard Time, so we were forced to stay up until 12:30 to watch the kick-off.  Although it was nice being able to watch the game on TV, it still was not the same as watching it in America.  Americans eat hot, spicy chicken wings, instead of burgers.  In addition, people love watching the Super Bowl commercials, but the same commercials did not show on the ESPN channel in Austria.  Despite these minor changes, I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl with friends in Austria."

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Kleine Zeitung: "With Souvenirs From Semmering"

With Souvenirs From Semmering

3. Februar 2012

"Now, it has happened! we lost our first game in Damen-Bundesliga, 3-2, against Sabres Wien II.  The good thing is that we lost in overtime, so we received one point in the match.  We still remain in first place in the league.

My brother, Aaron, was able to watch the match since he was visiting Austria for two weeks. The apartment felt empty without my roommates.  With my brother here, the only things empty in the apartment were the refridgerator and the water heater.  He eats more than anyone I know, and he also takes the longest hot showers.  Despite having no food and no hot water, I loved having my brother visit me. 

Both him and I were not used to such a cold winter, but I think we adjusted to the weather by the end of his trip.  One of the most memorable moments of his trip must have been our nights of sledding at Semmering.  We have never been sledding in -10°C weather, and we also never went sledding in Austria.  We soon discovered the sledding experience was much different than that in America.  In America, we have only been sledding down small hills on a plastic sled.  We did not expect to go down a snow-covered course on a wooden sled and we did not know how fast we would go!  We crashed many times on the course and even crashed into each other sometimes.  We didn’t realize how dangerous, but fun, sledding could be in Austria.  Our bodies ached and throbbed.  Unfortunately, my brother returned to America on Tuesday, but he was able to take home some Austrian souvenirs, the bruises on his body!"

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Highlanders Witness First Loss in League

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Juricek

The Neuberg Highlanders lost, 3-2, in overtime against the Sabres Wien II on Sunday at the Albert-Schultz Eishalle.  This marked the Highlanders' first loss in the Damen Eishockey Bundesliga (DEBL).  Despite the loss, the Highlanders remain as the top seed in the standings with an 8-1 record.  The Sabres follow in second place with a 7-2 record.

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Juricek

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Juricek

The game was scoreless after two periods.  The Highlanders struck first, as Jennifer Pesendorfer scored nearly halfway into the third period.  I passed the puck to Pesendorfer as she went down on a 2-on-1.  She sailed the puck blocker side of the goaltender, putting the first tally on the board.  In a one-goal deficit, the Sabres quickly responded scoring the game-tying goal nearly two minutes later.  After another two minutes, I scored the go-ahead goal for the Highlanders.   Bianca Tendl passed the puck to me as I skated through two Sabres defenders creating a breakaway opportunity.  I deked the goaltender and scored on my backhand to give my team a 2-1 lead.  The Sabres managed to tie the game before the end of the period, sending the game into overtime.  The Sabres were called for a penalty with 12 seconds remaining in regulation time, so the Highlanders started the overtime period on a powerplay.  Although with a one-man advantage, the Highlanders let the Sabres slip in a shorthanded goal, ending the game with a 3-2 loss. 


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