Release from 08.03.2023

Oskar Maier: "We will attack fully again"

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The top-seeded Red Bull Hockey Juniors celebrated a clear 5:0 victory over the Hockey Unterland Cavaliers in their playoff opener. Forward Oskar Maier, who scored on Monday and currently stands at 16 goals this Alps Hockey League season, talks about the series against the South Tyroleans ahead of Thursday's second clash.

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As winners of the Masterround, Salzburg had the right to pick and chose Unterland. The Cavaliers were at the top of the standings for several weeks in their league debut season. They even entered the playoffs as the fifth-best team, but lost three of four season meetings with the top-seeded Juniors. "The coaching staff involved us in choosing the opponent. Our coach Teemu Levijoki gave us his opinion and then we came to the decision together," Oskar Maier tells. The Salzburg side did not regret this choice on Monday in the 5:0 opening victory, which was already their seventh home win in a row. "We are very satisfied. We scored five goals ourselves and allowed very few chances. I think it's always an advantage to play at home. Everyone has their routine and you don't have to go on a long bus ride," says the 21-year-old forward.

Early in the middle period, Maier received a perfect assist and scored the game's third goal on power play. The Upper Austria native holds 38 points (16G, 22A) after 24 AHL games this season. He also made 22 appearances for EC Red Bull Salzburg in the win2day ICE Hockey League. Now the Juniors prepare for the second meeting on Thursday (8:30 p.m., on PPV livestream). The teams have already faced each other twice in Neumarkt this season, with a win each time. "We will attack fully again, but it will not be an easy task. Unterland will try everything not to fall behind 0:2. Therefore, we are preparing for a tough fight."