99ers striker

“Every game is a play-off game from now on”

The path to the net has often been full of hurdles for the 99ers this year(Bild: GEPA)

Casey Bailey is the sniper on duty for the Graz99ers. He was finally able to overcome his jam in the new year. This year, he doesn't want to wait until his vacation in Alaska to land big fish. 

It's not just the Graz99ers who have finally got their act together with two important wins in a row, striker Casey Bailey has also been able to break his scoring drought in the new year. In the 3-0 win in Vienna and the 2-1 home victory against Bolzano, the 1.91-metre winger scored the winning goal in both cases. 

No 99er scores more often
"I hope it continues like this now. My tally (note: 13 goals for the season) is not bad, but I know that our scoring rate is not right. In hindsight, I always have those chances in my head that I couldn't convert," explained the 33-year-old legionnaire. Before the win against the Capitals, Bailey had only scored once in 13 games and leads the 99ers' internal statistics with 133 shots fired.

"We often wait for the puck to go straight into the net, but we need to work harder in front of goal and follow up. We simply need more bite," says the American, who once developed from Alaska into a globetrotter after a brief NHL career.

Bailey casts the line
And who wouldn't mind if the annual home vacation started as late as possible this year. "I'm already looking forward to fishing in Alaska. In Europe, you need some kind of license for that. Besides, I don't really get to do it during the season anyway with my children (note: two and four years old)."

First of all, however, the 99ers have to secure as good a starting position as possible, preferably in the top six of the league. The motto for the last twelve games of the season is clear: "From now on, every game is like a play-off game for us." The next touchstone on this path is league leaders Fehervar, who will be welcomed to the "Bunker" on Friday (18:30). And against whom they have suffered three defeats so far.