Release from 20.04.2023

Final showdown in Bolzano live from 7.15 on

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At 7:30 pm the puck drops for the showdown to win the championship in the win2day ICE Hockey League. PULS 24 will show the seventh final game between HCB Südtirol Alperia and EC Red Bull Salzburg live on TV and streamed on www.puls24.at/eishockey from 7.05 pm. VB33 will also report live from this game.

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win2day ICE Hockey League, 7th final game:
Fri, 21.04.2023, 19:30: HCB Südtirol Alperia - EC Red Bull Salzburg
Referees: K. NIKOLIC, STERNAT, Nothegger, Seewald
LIVE on PULS 24 (stream available worldwide) and VB33 (Italian, available only in Italy)
Standings in the "best-of-7" series: 3:3

After 18 consecutive wins, Salzburg's home series came to an end on Tuesday, when the Red Bulls could have secured the championship title at home for only the second time in their club history. But Bolzano showed efficiency in the first two periods and even had a three-goal lead twice. In the end, the team of head coach Glen Hanlon earned a 4:3 road win.

Third series also goes the full distance
Thus, the "best-of-7" series moves to Bolzano for the last time. Last Sunday, the South Tyroleans fended off the first Salzburg match puck in dramatic fashion at Sparkasse Arena, which will also be sold out on Friday. Matt Frattin decided the game in the 116th minute, it was the second longest match in league history.

Salzburg is currently a seven-time title holder, while Bolzano won its two championships against the Red Bulls. The two final series already completed - 2014 (best-of-5) and 2018 (best-of-7) - also went the full distance. In the league debut year of the "Foxes" Ziga Pance scored in overtime of the fifth game to win 3:2. Four years later (on 20.4.2018), the Foxes won the last game of the season again in Salzburg with 3:2, then Luca Frigo provided the championship clinching goal.



Bolzano with strong home record
The Salzburgers have had a game 7 seven times in their league history so far, and have a positive 4-3 record. The last time so far, however, the Red Bulls had to admit defeat to Vienna in the 2019 semifinals. The last "Game 7 showdown" for HCB, on the other hand, was just one month ago. On March 21, 2023, the regular season winner advanced to the semifinals of the win2day ICE Hockey League with an overtime win against Linz.

This season, the teams faced each other five times on Bolzano ice. Four times the hosts won - always with a one-goal lead. Only in the third final game, the Red Bulls prevailed away from home with 4:1.