Peiting

The current fixtures sit in the Oberliga South, the third tier of German hockey, a level EC Peiting has known better than most clubs its size. That kind of yo-yo existence, chasing a title in one division and then absorbing the fallout, has defined the club since money troubles and relegations hit hard in the late 1970s and again through the 1990s.

The ice hockey side split away from the parent sports club TSV Peiting in the summer of 1973, after activities under that umbrella had run since 1953. Promotion to the 2. Bundesliga followed quickly, in 1974 and again in 1983.

Peter "Peppi" Heiß, once a goalkeeper for the national team, took over as coach in 2012 and the junior side won German championships in 2011 and 2014. Christian Winkler went the same way, moving from between the posts at Peiting into the sporting director's office at EHC Red Bull München.

The one rivalry that still matters locally is with EV Füssen, a neighbourhood duel in the truest sense. Peiting have leaned into a scrappier self-image lately, invoking "the Gallic village" for a team that keeps holding its ground against larger neighbours. Home games are played in red and white with blue trim, in front of 2,500 seats at the Eisstadion Peiting, built in 1972.