Release from 16.04.2026

Gherdeina also wins Game 3 and is just one victory away from the title

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On Thursday, HC Gherdeina valgardena.it also won the third final of the Alps Hockey League. The team from Wolkenstein defeated HC Meran/o Pircher 6–2 on the road. With four goals within just 122 seconds in the second period, the visitors paved the way for victory. Gherdeina can now capture the first AHL title in the club’s history on Saturday in front of their home crowd.

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After two convincing wins, the “Furies” entered the third final full of confidence. The opening phase was evenly balanced, with Gardena goalie Endre making some strong saves early on. In the 15th minute, the visitors took the lead: Davide Schiavone surprised Meran goaltender Bernard from behind the goal line and scored the only goal of the first period. The home team created several chances but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Shortly after the restart, Endre was called into action again — and up front, his teammates unleashed a true offensive fireworks display, scoring four times within just 122 seconds. Martin Castlunger broke away alone and buried a backhand shot in the top corner. A shot from Sebastiano Soracreppa found its way into the net, before Vlastimil Dostalek scored into the far corner. Tobias Brighenti made it 5–0, notching his first goal for Gardena. After this goal, Bernard was replaced in the Meran net by Christian Gamper. The "Eagles", however, refused to give up and pulled one back in the 31st minute when Brayden Sherbinin converted a penalty shot to make it 1–5. A few minutes later, Alex Egger cut the deficit to 2–5 in front of more than 1,700 spectators.

But Gardena held firm in the final period. Endre stopped several more shots, and six minutes from time, Stephan Deluca sealed the 6–2 final score with an empty-netter. With this win, Gardena now has the first opportunity on Saturday in Wolkenstein to secure the club’s first-ever Alps Hockey League championship.

Alps Hockey League:
Thu, 16.04.2026:
HC Meran/o Pircher – HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 2:6 (0:1, 2:4, 0:1)
Referees: HUBER R., SNOJ, Arlic, Strimitzer
Goals HCM: Sherbinin (31.), Egger (34.)
Goals GHE: Schiavone (15., 24.), Castlunger (23.), Soracreppa (23.), Brighenti (25.), Deluca (54./EN)
Standings in the best-of-7 final series: 0:3

Photo: BK PHOTO