Release from 03.09.2025

KAC and Salzburg hit the road up North | Czech top teams visiting Bolzano

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The three representatives of the win2day ICE Hockey League got off to a solid start in this year’s Champions Hockey League – four of six games involving ICE clubs ended in victories. Defending champion EC Red Bull Salzburg set the tone early with two wins and a perfect start heading into their upcoming road trip. While Salzburg is heading to Finland for back-to-back road games, EC-KAC will travel to Sweden and Denmark. Meanwhile, HCB Südtirol Alperia – already back from a tough Northern swing – will host two Czech powerhouses: Kometa Brno and Mountfield HK.

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EC-KAC turned heads last week with an impressive home win over German record champion Eisbären Berlin – one of the early upsets of the CHL campaign. With one win and one loss (1:4 at Sparta Prague), the ICEHL runner-up currently sits just above the playoff line with three points. The road ahead will not get easier – quite the opposite: KAC faces its first road trip of the season, and these games come with both long travel and high-level opponents.

On Thursday, the Red Jackets face 13-time Swedish champion Brynäs IF. The club from Gävle, on Sweden’s east coast, holds the same record as KAC – one win, one loss. Brynäs already battled the same Czech teams that will visit Bolzano this week: after falling 1:4 to Brno, they bounced back with a stunning 5:0 win over Mountfield HK. For Brynäs – relegated from the SHL in recent years – this is only their second CHL campaign after 2017/18, when they reached the quarterfinals. EC-KAC, now in its sixth CHL season, celebrated its best run so far in 2021/22, advancing to the Round of 16.

Just two days later, on Saturday, KAC visits the Odense Bulldogs in Denmark. The Bulldogs from the island of Funen also split their opening two games but sit below the line after needing a shootout to edge Mountfield and then losing 2:5 in Brno. Last season, Odense captured its first-ever Danish championship – and is making its CHL debut this year.

Red Bull Salzburg off to perfect start – double header in Finland ahead
EC Red Bull Salzburg enjoyed a flawless opening week in the CHL. The defending ICEHL champion first took down Polish titleholder GKS Tychy, then added a win over DEL side Bremerhaven. Salzburg is one of just four teams still on maximum points after two rounds. Next up: a tough Finnish double on the road.

On Thursday, the Red Bulls face Ilves Tampere, another unbeaten side. The 16-time Finnish champion opened its campaign with road wins in Ingolstadt and Belfast. Ilves’ best CHL result so far came last season, reaching the Round of 16, while Salzburg went all the way to the semifinals in 2018/19. The two clubs met already in 2022/23 – back then, the road team won both encounters, once in OT and once in a shootout.

On Saturday, Salzburg continues in Kuopio against Finnish champion KalPa. The reigning Liiga winners also won their first two CHL outings, but dropped a point along the way – beating Belfast in overtime and Ingolstadt in regulation, both away from home.

Bolzano welcomes Czech heavyweights
HCB Südtirol Alperia, in its sixth CHL season, opened with a 0:3 loss at Frölunda Göteborg but bounced back just two days later with a 4:3 win on the road at Lukko Rauma. After two games, the Foxes sit right around the playoff spots.

On Friday, Bolzano finally opens its home ice at the PalaOnda (“Eiswelle”) for a CHL contest. Kometa Brno comes in with maximum points, after two convincing three-goal home wins over Brynäs and Odense. The Czech giants, twice CHL quarterfinalists and reigning Extraliga champions, bring plenty of pedigree to South Tyrol.

On Sunday, Bolzano hosts Mountfield HK, another Czech top team. Mountfield faced the same opponents as Brno but managed only a single point – in a shootout loss to Odense. Still, the club from Hradec Králové has CHL pedigree, having reached the Final in 2019/20, where they fell to Frölunda Göteborg.

Champions Hockey League

Thursday, September 4, 2025

  • 17:30 Ilves Tampere – EC Red Bull Salzburg
  • 19:00 Brynäs IF – EC-KAC

Friday, September 5, 2025

  • 19:45 HC Bolzano – Kometa Brno

Saturday, September 6, 2025

  • 16:00 KalPa Kuopio – EC Red Bull Salzburg
  • 19:00 Odense Bulldogs – EC-KAC


Sunday, September 7, 2025

  • 15:30 HCB Südtirol Alperia – Mountfield HK