Release from 28.11.2017

Caps beat Graz, new coach in Bolzano and Red Bulls sign defender

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In Tuesday's only Erste Bank Eishockey Liga game, Vienna Capitals earned a 3:0 shutout home win against Moser Medical Graz99ers. There have also been transfer news today: After parting ways with Pat Curcio, HC Bolzano announced the signing of new head coach Kai Suikkanen. And due to their injury misery, EC Red Bull Salzburg signed Slovak defender Martin Stajnoch.

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The 99ers played very defensively-minded right from the beginning and the Caps could barely create any good chances. Tyler Cuma got a first shot goalwards but Hanny Toivonen made an easy stop in the Graz net. However, the hosts became more dangerous with each apssing minute and two minutes before the first intermission Peter Schneider opened the scoring. In the middle frame the Graz defense had more and more problems but Benjamin Nissner and Riley Holzapfel could not beat Toivonen who was lucky when Schneider only hit the post. Early in the third Ken Ograjensek missed the best chance for the visitors and soon later Cuma doubled the lead from wide range. Holzapfel rounded off the scoring on power play for a 3:0 Caps win. Lamoureux celebrated his second shutout of the season. 
 
New coach for the foxes
Former NHL player Kai Suikkanen started his coaching career in his home country Finland where he became Liiga champion with TPS Turku in 2009/10. Then the 58 year-old spent one year in at Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in KHL, before returning to Finland where he coached different Liiga teams in the last few years. Now Suikkanen comes to Erste Bank Eishockey Liga for the first time.
 
Red Bulls strengthen defense
Due to their injury misery, EC Red Bull Salzburg signed Slovak defender Martin Stajnoch. After becoming Slovak champion with HC Slovan Bratislava in 2012, the 27 year-old went along with his club to KHL. After that he had two campaigns in Czech Extraliga, before starting the 2017-18 season with another KHL side, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. In total he has played 158 KHL games. Lately he also hit the ice VHL team Rubin Tyumen. The new arrival should make his debut for the Red Bulls in Thursday's home game against Linz.