Release from 12.09.2021
EC Red Bull Salzburg won their fourth game in this Champions Hockey League season after regulation on Sunday. The Red Bulls defeated Polish representative JKH GKS Jastrzębie 6:1 thanks to five goals in the final period. Head coach Matt McIlvane's team thus secured early CHL promotion. Thanks to the victory of Salzburg, HCB Südtirol Alperia also entered the play-off stage of the 16 best teams in Europe. The Bolzano side had to admit defeat for the first time in a 1:2 home loss after shootout against Frisk Asker from Norway, but in the end they got the decisive point for promotion. In addition, six bet-at-home ICE Hockey League teams played preseason games.
EC Red Bull Salzburg also won their fourth Champions Hockey League group game against JKH GKS Jastrzębie with 6:1 and thus secured their play-off ticket early. The Red Bulls had to wait a long time against Poland's champions, before they were able to secure the victory in the final period. Mario Huber gave Salzburg the lead in the 30th minute on powerplay. But the guests equalised a little later after a solo run and thus got better into the game. In the final period, the game was also open for a short time, but 19-year-old Jakub Borzecki scored in the 47th minute to give Salzburg the lead again and celebrated his first goal in the senior team. The spell was broken. Shortly afterwards Ty Loney scored on the powerplay and scored again a little later after a counterattack to give the Red Bulls a 4:1 lead. Benjamin Nissner and Thomas Raffl also scored to seal a well-deserved 6:1 home win against Jastrzębie. The Red Bulls remain undefeated at the top of the group and are qualified for the CHL round of 16.
HCB Südtirol Alperia suffered their first defeat in the fourth match of the Champions Hockey League. After a goalless first period, Frisk Asker took the lead in the 32nd minute. Only a short time later Mathew Maione scored the equaliser after a wonderful double pass with Findlay. Bolzano then missed many chances in the third period and overtime. In the end, the visitors had the better end in the shootout, as none of the five HCB shooters was able to score. However, the win for Salzburg means that the Foxes have also qualified for the CHL Round of 16. For the second time in the club's history, the foxes find themselves among the top sixteen European teams, with the Red Bulls and HCB dueling for first place in Group H on 5 and 12 October, before the draw for the direct elimination stage begins.
Champions Hockey League:
Sun, 12.09.2021: HCB Südtirol Alperia - Frisk Asker (DEN) 1:2 SO (0:0, 1:1, 0:0, 0:1)
Goals: Maione (35.) resp. Granholm (32.), Lagace (65./deciding penalty)
Sun, 12.09.2021: EC Red Bull Salzburg - JKH GKS Jastrzębie (POL) 6:1 (0:0, 1:1, 5:0)
Goals: Mario Huber (30./PP), Borzecki (47.), Loney (48./PP, 51.), Nissner (53.), Raffl (56.) resp. Kasperlik (33.)
Villach and Linz win league internal tests
Only 48 hours after the 5:3 victory in Bruneck, EC GRAND Immo VSV also won the second preseason duel with HC Pustertal 4:1. After Joel Broda's goal in the middle period, Villach made everything clear in front of their home crowd with three goals in the last six minutes. The Steinbach Black Wings Linz won their league internal duel with the Moser Medical Graz99ers 3:1. After the Styrians, who played strongly for long periods, took the lead in the twelfth minute through captain Daniel Oberkofler, the Upper Austrians turned the game in their favour with a final offensive including three goals. In addition, HK SŽ Olimpija Ljubljana celebrated a clear 8:2 victory over MAC Budapest. The Slovenians, with Miha Zajc scoring twice, won every period.
The test game of the spusu Vienna Capitals at HK Nitra was stopped in the 39th minute. After some rough play on both sides, the Slovakians decided to end the preseason game prematurely.
Preseason, bet-at-home ICE Hockey League:
Sun, 12.09.2021: EC GRAND Immo VSV - HC Pustertal 4:1 (0:0, 1:0, 2:0)
Goals: Broda (23.), Joslin (52.), Hughes (55.), Lanzinger (56.) resp. Budish (57.)
Sun, 12.09.2021: Steinbach Black Wings Linz - Moser Medical Graz99ers 3:1 (0:1, 0:0, 3:0)
Goals: 0:1 Oberkofler (12.), 1:1 Romig (55.PP), 2:1 Rotter (56.), 3:1 Gaffal (58.)
Sun, 12.09.2021: HK Nitra - spusu Vienna Capitals 5:1 (3:1, 2:0, -:-)
Game abandoned in the 39th minute
Goal Vienna: Matt Neal (13./PP)
Sun, 12.09.2021: HK SŽ Olimpija Ljubljana - MAC Budapest 8:2 (4:0, 2:1, 2:1)
Goals Ljubljana: Zajc (2), Kalan, Leclerc, K. Čepon, Pance, Tomaževič, Jezovšek