The return of the Canadian ice fighter: Ian Farrell back on the Leipzig ice

Leipzig. “No incoming service”, attempts to reach Ian Farrell by phone, end up at an English mailbox. An external number appears on the display of the mobile phone. Ontario, Canada. But the notion is deceptive: The 28-year-old from Bradford is no longer living in his home between Lake Huron and Lake Ontario, two of North America’s Great Lakes. Farrell is back in Leipzig for a few weeks, so the relief at Icefighters is similarly great. The German-Canadian players have been playing at Trade Fair City since 2016. It wasn’t clear for a long time that he was on the ice at Kohlrabi Circus this season.

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Farrell, who has not been seen in Leipzig since the start of the pandemic, has been sitting on the opposite side of the pond for the past year and a half. Coaches, fans and teammates shivered for a long time, with the redeeming news coming shortly before the season even started: The No. 24 ice fighter has landed. “That was a tough time. I really wanted to come to Leipzig for last season, but it didn’t make sense for me to leave Canada because of the pandemic,” revealed Farrell, who most recently worked for the Canadian government “I had such a great job that I can’t go back now. So I had to weigh my options over the summer and make a decision about my future. The process was anything but easy, but now the anticipation of the next few years in their second home has raged.

The fact that the globetrotter doesn’t feel at home at all may also be due to his team’s strong start to the season. Fifth in the Oberliga Nord, conceded the strongest defensive position in the league with only nine goals – what’s the secret to success? “We’ve been doing incredibly well defensively this season, every player does their job and the coaching team is very committed.” With five goals and two assists, Farrell is his team’s top scorer, but his main focus lies elsewhere: “Defensive first! Sure, goals are more important, but in sports I think primarily about defense.” The stats speak for Farrell. He can’t shake his sportsmanship if you ask him how satisfied he is with his performance this season. “As an ice hockey player you are never completely satisfied. “You can always give more to the team,” says Farrell, praising his teammates in the next sentence. “In my opinion, we have the strongest goalkeeper pair in the league. We all know these two in an emergency.” Will save our donkeys.”

NS The loss against the Tilburg Trappers last Friday is the famous exception to the rule. It was 1:2 after overtime. A painful outcome, with Pharrell being confirmed above all. Playing against a top team at eye level and taking a point at the end was valuable to Leipzigers’ confidence. The Icefighters’ coach Sven Garrick announced the attacking top four spots in the league, Farrell considers realistic. Especially when captain Florian Eichelkrat and attacker Hans Albrecht return from injury.

So the fourth season in Leipzig could be the most successful for Farrell. In 2016, he arrived at the team in an unconventional way. The then 23-year-old wrote IceFighters on Facebook, hoping for a contract. Gerike Farrell was a largely blank slate for coach, but after years of interest in the Canadian Junior League, suddenly things moved quickly. “A few days later, Sven called me and we had a great conversation,” Farrell recalls. “I didn’t even have my citizenship at that time. The whole German bureaucracy was pure chaos. And the first preparation for impending culture shock.

Farrell’s grandparents live in Lübeck, which is why he was able to easily apply for citizenship. He saw the country for the first time when the contract was signed. “It was a huge change. I didn’t know the language and the way ice hockey is played is very different,” Farrell says. “In Canada, they play a lot more physically. In turn, the game seems to be intensifying in Germany. The fact that Europeans, especially Scandinavians and Russians, excel at runners, is a cliché in Canada that has been repeatedly confirmed. So Farrell had to change his game as well: the less direct duels with the opponent, the more sprint spaces in the open.

The skills learned mattered even in the evening. The Icefighters were guests at the Ligaprimus Hannover Scorpions (after the issue went to press). A strong performance against Tilburg should provide the needed boost in a duel of best defense with the most successful attack in the league. Ian Farrell was already on the offensive: “We know it’s going to be difficult. But we will also make it as difficult as possible for them.”