Due to the extensive spectator restrictions also in the ice hockey top league, the club lost a large part of its ticket revenue. "However, we finance our youth work to a considerable extent with this income," said HCL President Frank Kurz. In addition, the club faced considerably higher costs than in previous years due to the protection, hygiene and testing measures, both in the senior and junior sections.

The situation was also aggravated by the fact that it is not yet known when and to what extent aid money will be paid from which state rescue and funding pots. To make it easier for the club to continue its work, 3C-Carbon Group AG stepped into the breach at short notice as the Riverkings' exclusive main sponsor. The high-tech group of companies now supported the HCL with a donation in the five-figure euro range. "We know what excellent work is being done in the youth sector in Landsberg. The club has established itself here among the top clubs in Bavaria. In addition to sporting values, social and personal values are also conveyed here, which we also stand for with our company," said company spokesman Christoph Kruse. "This is another reason why we are now happy to provide additional support at the Landsberg site."

3C-Carbon Group AG, TSV Landsberg's main sponsor for many years, agreed to significantly increase the sponsorship budget once again at the club's request. This made it possible to make the 32-year-old defensive specialist an offer that ultimately convinced him. "This is really a great thing, the way our main sponsor has once again shown an exceptionally strong commitment to us. We can only say thank you for that and hope that we can repay it with good sporting performances," said head of football department Sebastian Gilg.

With Benede, TSV Landsberg has landed a real top-class player. He trained with 1860 Munich and FC Bayern, among others. In the latter's 2nd team, he also played several third league games with now well-known stars such as Holger Badstuber and Thomas Müller. In recent years, Benede, most recently as player-coach, was the defining figure in the build-up of play at Bayernliga rivals SV Pullach until they unexpectedly parted ways a few weeks ago.

"I had several offers after that, but it was impressive the way Landsberg made an effort to get me," says Benede. "Here I meet a club with really professional structures and Mike Hutterer, with whom I already harmonised very well in Pullach. I'm really keen to play here."

With the 25-year-old defender, Landsberg will gain a lot of experience and probably also more stability in the squad. Lilik learned to play ice hockey with the Frankfurt Young Lions and ended up in Leipzig after playing for the Frankfurt Lions, Selber Wölfe, Moskitos Essen and Hannover Indians. He has already played a total of 286 Oberliga games.

According to team manager Michael Oswald, Lilik has turned towards Augsburg for private reasons, "We have been in contact for some time and are pleased that we were able to come to an agreement quickly." The newcomer is a robust playing defender, "who is stable in defence and can also bring the physically tough component into the game."

At the same time as signing Lilik, the Riverkings extended the contract of Jonas Schwarzfischer. The 22-year-old forward is a homegrown from the HCL junior team and most recently completed his first Oberliga season.

Coach Fabio Carciola's contract was extended early on, and now two important defensive players have signed new contracts. Both captain Tobias Wedl (27) and Markus Jähnichen will continue to play for the Riverkings next season. Both are true Landsberg homegrowns and have done well in what has been a difficult Oberliga season overall. Wedl played a major role in ensuring that the team got along well despite some lack of success, said team manager Michael Oswald. "And he is a rock-solid Oberliga defender."

Markus Jähnichen, on the other hand, had positively surprised those responsible. "He was one of our most consistent defenders at times, is physically robust and occasionally gets involved in the offense."

Dennis Sturm, Michael Fischer and Maximilian Rass will no longer play for the Riverkings. Vice-President Gerhard Petrussek thanked the trio: "We are very happy that they have gone along with us. For them, it was a time-consuming effort that they had not planned for. The planned intensification of the training rhythm will increase this effort even more in the future. It was therefore mutually agreed that they would go their separate ways after this season. "All three are great guys who are always welcome for a beer," Petrussek said.

The Riverkings were able to keep up with their opponents at times in the most recent games, but in the decisive moments it was always noticeable that the young squad lacked experience. That's why the HCL didn't hesitate for long when Mathias Jeske became available on the transfer market. The 29-year-old defender has already gained Oberliga experience in Peiting and also attracted attention with consistently good performances in Waldkraiburg and Erding. With a height of 1.96 metres and a fighting weight of 115 kilos, he should also have the physical presence that has been missing in Landsberg's defence lately.

Jeske will be joined by a familiar face for the Riverkings. The 20-year-old Dominic Erdt already played for the Landsberg junior team before moving to El Paso (USA), where he scored 87 points in 96 games in the Western State Hockey League. Due to the Corona pandemic, he was now unable to return to the USA after a home leave and will therefore strengthen his home club in Landsberg in the coming weeks.