VSV: Joe Cannata 14, Rene Swette 1 start
Cannata will likely get almost every game as well; 38-year-old Rene Swette is now merely a practice goalie. Can the Canadian, who is already 36 himself, hold up during this intense stretch of games?
Fehervar AV19: Rasmus Reijola 17, Beni Halasz 3 (1 start), Levente Hegedüs 2 (0 starts)
In Szekesfehervar as well, head coach Ted Dent operates under the motto: “Let's see how far our number one goalie can carry us.” When Reijola falters, backup Halasz—or Hegedüs in his absence—gets a limited amount of ice time.
Pioneers Vorarlberg: Alex Caffi 16, Leon Sommer 3 (2 starts)
After years of sharing workload with David Madlener, the 35-year-old Caffi is forced to carry a heavy load once again—and at the league's defensive shooting gallery. With losses in the coming weeks threatening to be even more decisive than before, Sommer—who looks and plays rather small—might get more opportunities.
Clear Number One
HCB Südtirol: Louis Domingue 12, Marco Costantini 5 (5 starts)
From time to time, Domingue is troubled by knee issues, giving Costantini more playing time. But even after two consecutive shutouts, Costantini wasn't allowed to stay in net—Domingue, the best puck-handling keeper among ICE goalies, is clearly ahead in the league's only all-import netminding duo.
Olympija Ljubljana: Lukas Horak 11, Zan Us 6 (6 starts)
Backup Us has already logged six starts in his third stint with Olimpija, though most of those were due to an injury to Horak. The naturalized Czech remains the clear number one in net, but his physically demanding playstyle—often leaving him looking like he needs to gather his scattered bones after the final horn—could take a toll once again.
Milano HC: Jake Smith 13, Adam Berti 6 (5 starts)
Until a fateful split save by Jake Smith, Berti had only three appearances; after that, he had to start three straight games, and despite a good start, eventually hit his limits at times. However, Smith returned healthy right before the international break and logged two more starts, so his starter role shouldn't be in danger.
Black Wings Linz: Dylan Wells 12, Martin Reder 6 (5 starts)
Due to a brief injury layoff for Wells, Reder has already logged five starts—without which he likely would have had three. Especially during three-game weeks, the Austrian will certainly get more starts, but Wells will remain the clear starter. When it comes to Reder, I always feel he needs to work around the clock on his mobility and athleticism; at present, he is a purely positional goalie, albeit of towering size.
Workload Sharing
Red Bull Salzburg: Atte Tolvanen 11, David Kickert 7 (6 starts)
As in every season, Tolvanen leads the way in terms of appearances, while Kickert hasn't been able to replicate last season's performances amid this year's chaos. A 2-1 game ratio in the coming weeks would come as no surprise.
Ferencvaros Budapest: Bence Balizs 9, Kristof Nagy 7 (7 starts)
Arguably the most balanced duo in the league; their starts have been almost equal so far, and whoever starts a game stays in net until the end. Will their level of play be enough to reach the pre-playoffs?
Complicated by Injuries
HC Pustertal: Eddie Pasquale 5, Colin Furlong 10 (10 starts)
Even if it looks the opposite right now: Pasquale was always between the pipes until minor ailments bothered him for the first time. After two more starts he had to undergo surgery, and since then Furlong has been the logical number one, playing not only consistently but also extremely solidly. Pasquale is set to return after the break—are the cards reshuffled now, or will Furlong automatically step back into a backup role?
KAC: Florian Vorauer 13 (12 starts), Mareks Mitens 3 (3 starts) - Sebastian Dahm 2 (2 starts)
After Sebastian Dahm suffered a torn ACL in just his second game of the season, Marek Mitens came in as a logical replacement. Florian Vorauer racked up a high number of games this season, and not only because of the gap between those two signings. However, since Mitens' first appearance, he and the ÖEHV goalie have been taking turns. Will this workload sharing continue after the break? With Dahm ahead of him, Vorauer routinely settled into a clear backup role around the turn of the year in recent seasons.
Graz99ers: Nicolas Wieser 9 (8 starts), Maxime Lagace 2 (2 starts), Patrick Grascher 2 (2 starts) – Henri Kiviaho 5 (5 starts)
The 99ers are the only team in the league to have used four goalies so far. The reason, of course, is Maxime Lagace's injury. The stint of his replacement, Henri Kiviaho, contractually ended with the international break. But Lagace was frequently unavailable last season too; completing the remainder of the season without further ailments would almost come as a surprise. Nicolas Wieser will likely continue to split time with him, but if Lagace suffers a prolonged absence, goalie No. 5 is likely on the way.
Goalies as a Protected Species?
Last season, shortly before the playoffs, Director of Hockey Operations Lyle Seitz issued the directive: "The goalies must be protected at all costs."
That mandate carried over into this season as well, and the refs adhere to it religiously. "Driving the net" has since disappeared from forwards' playbooks, with virtually every situation in and around the crease now being called in favor of the goaltenders (disallowed goals and penalties for goalie interference).
However, the number of goalie injuries listed above demonstrates that this panacea—in stark contrast to the liberal interpretation of the rules before—is anything but...
