Release from 01.04.2023

Bolzano and Salzburg can enter the final at home

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The HCB Südtirol Alperia and EC Red Bull Salzburg each have the first opportunity to enter the final of the win2day ICE Hockey League on Sunday. The defending champions will face EC-KAC at home in the PULS 24 live match. The road game of the spusu Vienna Capitals in Bolzano will be available in the live stream.

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Information ahead of the fifth semi-final game day:

  • If both series end on Sunday, the finals of the win2day ICE Hockey League will start on Thursday, April 6 in Bolzano
  • If it comes to the final between Bolzano and Salzburg, the third spot for the 2023/24 Champions Hockey League season will go to HC TIWAG Innsbruck, who finished the regular season in third place. For the Tyroleans, it would be their first participation in Europe's top ice hockey competition.

win2day ICE Hockey League, 5th semi-final
Sun, 02.04.2023, 17:30: EC Red Bull Salzburg - EC-KAC
Referees: K. NIKOLIC, PIRAGIC, Nothegger, Seewald | >> STREAM ON PULS 24 <<
Standings in the "best-of-7" series 3:1

With the first away win of the series, EC Red Bull Salzburg took the 3:1 lead on Friday. The reigning champions turned the game in their favor with three goals in the middle period and won once again after six previous postseason losses at the KAC. Above all, the power play has been a decisive factor so far: Salzburg recorded six goals in 16 PP opportunities in the series, Klagenfurt only their two in the same number. In the club's history, the Red Bulls have never given up a 3:1 lead in ten games, and eight times they have won the "best-of-7" series in game five. The record of the Salzburg side in elimination games is more than respectable: 29 of 40 such encounters (in "best-of-7" mode) have been won, including each of the last five since the semifinal elimination against the Vienna Capitals in game seven in 2019. Despite their long playoff history, the Carinthians have only faced a 1:3 deficit in a "best-of-7" duel four times, in all four cases failing to turn it in the following games. Twice, however - in the 1999 final and last year's quarterfinals - the record champions forced at least a sixth meeting on home ice with an away overtime win in game five.

Sun, 02.04.2023, 18:00: HCB Südtirol Alperia - spusu Vienna Capitals
Referees: FICHTNER, OFNER, Riecken, Zgonc | >> PPV-LIVESTREAM <<
Standings in the "best-of-7" series 3:1

HCB Südtirol Alperia celebrated its already fifth win in a row at the STEFFL Arena on Friday. The team from Bolzano took the lead after just 31 seconds and kept their nerve even when the home side came close in the third period. The Caps now need a win to bring the series back to Vienna. Head coach Dave Barr's team showed its class as an away team in the playoffs. In the quarterfinal series against HC TIWAG Innsbruck, the Viennese won all three meetings at the Sharks, and in the semifinals the Caps managed a win from two road games. In two of the three completed semifinal series between the spusu Vienna Capitals and HCB Südtirol Alperia so far, there was a fifth game - both went to the Foxes. With Sam Harvey, the goalkeeper with the save percentage of the win2day ICE Hockey League is in the net for the South Tyroleans. The 25-year-old Canadian has saved a total of 92.6 percent of all shots on his goal. In the playoffs, Harvey even managed to increase this figure to 94.0 percent. This compares to Matt Bradley, the top scorer in the win2day ICE Hockey League. The Caps forward's assist yesterday put him alone atop the league-wide scoring charts with a total of 73 scorer points (29 goals + 44 assists). Bradley is also the playoff leader with 14 points (5 goals + 9 assists).



Photo: HCB/Vanna Antonello