Release from 13.03.2017

Capitals host Bolzano in semis opener

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The semifinal of Erste Bank Eishockey Liga starts on Tuesday with UPC Vienna Capitals hosting HCB Südtirol Alperia. The Viennese have won all three home games against Bolzano this season and enter the series as favourites. ServusTV offers live broadcasting.

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After winning the first and also second stage of regular season, UPC Vienna Capitals went through to semis with a sweep against Innsbruck. Now the Viennese are awaiting Bolzano who comes to the Austrian capital for the series opener. The Caps have won five of six season meetings with the Foxes, having a 26:14 goal difference. "Bolzano is strong on breakaways, mistakes will be punished quickly. We won't change our system, it has turned to account that we only think game by game. We focus on us, trying to force our game on them", tells us Riley Holzapfel who leads scoring charts in playoffs with seven goals and three assists. Bolzano also has a goal scorer available: Brodie Reid's four goals and three assists were decisive in the quarterfinals against Linz. However, the foxes are underdogs again but Anton Bernard does not care about it: "We have nothing to lose in this series. We can play our hockey and give everything to win. This season, except Pick Round, we have seen that we can beat them. The Caps have dominated so far, they are playing well. But we can do it as long we play the same intensity as in the series before." Bolzano has been to semis once before, beating Villach and getting the championship title later in the 2013-14 campaign. The Caps have a negative record in semifinals, losing seven of nine series. In the first ever playoff series between these clubs,  Jerry Pollastrone, MacGregor Sharp and Taylor Vause play their former club.
 
Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, 1st semifinal (best of seven):
Tue, 14.03.2017: UPC Vienna Capitals – HCB Südtirol Alperia (19:45, ServusTV live)
Referees: K. NIKOLIC, SMETANA, Nemeth, Seewald.