Franz-David Fritzmeier reacted quickly.

The sports director of the Löwen Frankfurt recognized the danger, but is it also banned with the signings of Jerry D'Amigo and Chad Nehring?

The lions usually lost in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) when they did not have or could not fall back on the entire squad.

That was the case on the second match day against Bremerhaven, when the coach only relied on the experienced defenders and the team gradually ran out of strength and the Löwen lost 3:4.

The same phenomenon could be observed in the last home game against Ingolstadt, when Frankfurt lost 2:3 after extra time.

With less strong strikers, the lions lost offensive power.

Four injured strikers

Brendan Ranford, Rylan Schwartz and Brett Breitkreuz were injured against Ingolstadt;

the strikers are out for a couple of weeks.

Things got even worse for Frankfurt after the game: Nathan Burns was the fourth striker to get injured.

It remains to be seen whether he will play again this weekend with matches on Friday in Düsseldorf (7.30 p.m. live on Magentasport) and on Sunday against Bremerhaven (2 p.m.).

The Lions are also missing forward number five in Ryan Olsen.

He was suspended for five games for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The league resorted to this drastic penalty as he had previously been cautioned and suspended once.

"We'll talk to him that he needs to be a little more careful.

His strength is the physical game," says Fritzmeier.

With the two additional signings of 31-year-old D'Amigo and four-year-old Nehring, the lions have compensated for the accumulated failures.

The forwards arrived in Frankfurt last Wednesday and have been able to complete a full week of training without the pressure and hustle and bustle of matches.

"They are both very experienced players who have played many games in the league," says Fritzmeier.

The additional signings do not replace the absent players one-to-one, but bring additional playful components into the squad.

An advantage if the injured return.

"D'Amigo is a very strong player with a lot of experience, who can play very well under man, but rather a hard worker on the ice.

Offense needs to be reordered

Nehring is one of the best face-off players in the DEL, even if he might not initially play as a central striker," says the sports director, giving an insight into how the newcomers could be used.

One thing is clear: on the offensive, some things will be rearranged again.

The spot in the parade row with Carter Rowney and Dominik Bokk will be vacated as striker David Elsner will now line up with D'Amigo - both have known each other from seasons together at Ingolstadt.

The fact that the lions were even able to do more is also due to Fritzmeier's decision not to allocate all squad and contingent places at the beginning of the season.

As a North American, D'Amigo is the ninth of eleven possible foreigners in the squad, Nehring has a German passport.

“They come with a lot of fresh energy, which helps the team now.

It was also a sign to the team that we don't want to let up," says the sporting director.

The memories of the past season and the positive impetus of the additional signings are still present: players like defenders Reid McNeill and Davis Vandane, Brett Breitkreuz and Nathan Burns as a striker only joined the team in the current season, were instrumental in promotion and have also important roles in the DEL squad.

As a climber, the lions started the DEL season as outsiders.

But in many games this is no longer the case.

The offensive-oriented ice hockey of the lions has already taught fear to individually stronger teams.

In Berlin, the Löwen caught up four goals in the last third (and lost 4:5 after extra time), against Munich they won 3:2 after a penalty shootout.

Coach Gerry Fleming's team has never lost more than twice in a row.

The problems of the lion game were always recognized and quickly banned again.

The fact that the lions only lost in the prestigious derby against the Adler Mannheim by more than one goal - but there clearly 1:5 - speaks for the good performance.

In the other eight defeats, Frankfurt lost by just one goal, five of them in extra time.

The result is fifth place in the table.

One place behind Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven and ahead of Düsseldorfer EG, which is in seventh place.