Release from 06.03.2018
While Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey und HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice opened the postseason with tight home wins, HC Pustertal got a shutout in Feldkirch. With a 3:1 road win against champions Rittner Buam, the Red Bull Hockey Juniors sprang the biggest surprise.
HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice (3) vs. HK SZ Olimpija (6) 4:3 (1:1, 2:0, 1:2)
The Jesenice team started quaterfinals infront of the home crowd. It was a great night for Slovenian hockey. About 2.000 people gathered to watch the biggest Slovenian hockey derby. The first goal was scored in 11th minute after a powerplay goal by Tadej Čimžar. Olimpija players started to attack after the goal but they didn't manage to put the puck past Clarke Saunders. The equalizer came just two minutes before the end of the first quarter. Gal Koren got a great pass by Andrej Hebar and scored. The home team were up again just a minute after the start of the second period. A mistake from goalie Robert Kristan got Markus Piispanen to score a goal. Five minutes later Jesenice scored again. Blaz Tomaževič found a net after a shot from the side. It took Jesenice team only 14 second in the last period to score again. Aleksandar Magovac capitalised on a great pass from Čimžar. It looked like the preliminary decision but Olimpija bounced back once again. Andrej Hebar (47‘) and Aljaz Chvatal (56‘) made it a one-goal game for a thrilling final minutes with Jesenice killing the clock successfully.
FBI VEU Feldkirch (4) vs. HC Pustertal Wölfe (5) 0:2 (0:0, 0:0, 0:2)
Both teams started the game focused and disciplined. Despite being down a man twice, Pustertal had more shots on goal in the first than their opponents. Max Oberrauch and Maximilian Lancsar missed the best chances for the visitors while Feldkirch could not score on two good occassions, too. After the restart HCP still pressed for the lead but Lukas Tauber only hit the post after 27 minutes. After the halfway point of the game Feldkirch took over command but Thomas Tragust in the Pustertal net kept a clean sheet. In the third the guests killed an early penalty and then Max Oberrauch made the breakthrough when he volleyed the puck into the net. Just a few minutes later Oberrauch doubled the lead with his second of the net off a pass from Sean Ringrose. Feldkirch gave everything to bounce back but they failed to score.
Rittner Buam (2) vs. Red Bull Hockey Juniors (7) 1:3 (0:1, 0:1, 1:1)
For the first game in the playoffs, the "Buam" were on the rink with the best team available, while among the guests there wasn’t Dario Winkler. The Ritten certainly started in the attack zone but they failed to be incisive. The Salzburg team played with great intensity as it has shown repeatedly during the season. After 16 minutes the Salzburg passed surprisingly ahead. The twenty-year-old German promise Samuel Antti Soramies scored the first net on rebound. The visitors closed first period playing with speed as they didn’t give a second pause to their opponents. Great balance then in the central period. The Salzburg defended well as they didn’t allow to the opponent be dangerous in attack. On the contrary, when the Austrian team started on the counterattack they were always dangerous while the home team continued his poor game in the attack zone. After 28 minutes, the guests were even doubled, this time with Daniel Wachter, who scored 2:0 after a mistake in the defence of the “Buam”. Then the Ritten created some very dangerous occasions, which were save by the visiting goalkeeper Daniel Fließinger. Thus, after two times, Lehtonen's team remained below in the score. In the third period the Ritten tried everything to reopen the game. When missing three minutes from the final whistle, the Ritten scored. Emil Quaas went to penalty bench and Alex Frei made a powerplay goal. In the last minute of the game Lehtonen also left out Killeen for an extra player, but the home team was punished by Lukas Kainz who fixed the final result (1:3) for the visitors with empty net goal. The Alps Hockey League playoffs began with a surprise for the first ever Red Bulls victory against Renon.
Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey 1935 (1) vs. WSV Sterzing Broncos Weihenstephan (8) 7:5 (2:1, 3:1, 2:3)
During the first period it could breathe a great playoff atmosphere with a very physical match and lots of competition on both sides of the rink. After 13 minutes the Asiago scored the first goal during the first available powerplay: Giulio Scandella realized after a rebound. Shortly thereafter there was a possible goal in penalty killing for the home team but in the same action the Sterzing equalized with Ivan Deluca in powerplay. But the home team played with a lot of energy. After 16 minutes great shot by Phil Pietroniro and deflection in the net of Marco Rosa. Then there was Scandella who hits the crossbar. In the second half the home team started as a rocket. The protagonist was always Giulio Scandella who realized after just 39 seconds with a great shot. The same yellow-read forward realized his hat-trick at the end of an overwhelming action. Just mid-game, Alex Gellert, after two assists, also made his personal network with a big shot from the blue. After 30 minutes Asiago was forward for 5: 1. But the visitors didn’t look the scoreboard as they started a constant comeback. Before the end of the second half there was the goal of Tobias Kofler while in the third time Fabian Hackhofer and Matthias Mantinger allowed the Broncos to return to the game. But the Asiago found his goals with a double of Marco Rosa interspersed by the network of Mark Lee for an exciting final. The Asiago won the first round against Vipiteno for 7: 5. This was the match with the highest number of goals (12) in the playoffs of AHL. The two teams have proven to have a great powerplay with half the goals of the match marked with the extra man.
Alps Hockey League, 06.03.2018, Quarterfinals 1 (best of seven):
Tue, 06.03.2018: HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice (3) vs. HK SZ Olimpija (6) 4:3 (1:1, 2:0, 1:2)
Referees: BAJT, OFNER, Bärnthaler, Rezek
Goals Jesenice: Cimzar (11./pp/Basic-Glavic), Piispanen (21./Magovac), Tomazevic (27./Cimzar-Tavzelj), Magovac (41./Cimzar-U. Sodja)
Goals Olimpija: Koren (19./Hebar), Hebar (47./Svete-Rajsar), Chvatal (56./Hebar-Rajsar)
Jesenice leads series 1:0
Tue, 06.03.2018: FBI VEU Feldkirch (4) vs. HC Pustertal Wölfe (5) 0:2 (0:0, 0:0, 0:2)
Referees: GAMPER, MORI, Basso, Rinker
Tore HCP: 0:1 Oberrauch (45./Leitner-Hofer), 0:2 Oberrauch (49./Ringrose-Andergassen)
Pustertal leads series 1:0
Tue, 06.03.2018: Rittner Buam (2) vs. Red Bull Hockey Juniors (7) 1:3 (0:1, 0:1, 1:1)
Referees: A. LAZZERI, RUETZ, F. Giacomozzi, Tschrepitsch
Goal RIT: 1:3 Frei (57./PP1/Borgatello-T.Spinell)
Goal RBJ: 0:1 Soramies (16./Schreier-Feldner); 0:2 Wachter (27./Eder); 1:3 Kainz (59./EN/Soramies);
Red Bull Hockey Juniors lead series 1:0
Tue, 06.03.2018: Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey 1935 (1) vs. WSV Sterzing Broncos Weihenstephan (8) 7:5 (2:1, 3:1, 2:3)
Referees: BULOVEC, MOSCHEN, Bergant, Snoj.
Goals ASH: 1:0 Scandella (13./PP1/Bardaro-Gellert); 2:1 Rosa (Pace – P.Pietroniro); 3:1 Scandella (20./Nigro-Benetti); 4:1 Scandella (22./Benetti-Gellert); 5:1 Gellert (31./Bardaro-Rosa); 6:4 Rosa (53./P.Pietroniro); 7:5 Rosa (59./EN/P.Pietroniro-A.Bardaro);
Goals WSV: 1:1 I.Deluca (14./PP1/Hackhofer-Oberdorfer); 5:2 Kofler (37./PP1/Deluca-Hackhofer); 5:3 Hackhofer (46./PP1/Felicetti-Oberdorfer); 5:4 Mantinger (47./Felicetti-Lee); 6:5 Lee (56./PP1/Sotlar-Nyren);
Asiago leads series 1:0