Ritten wins spectacular top game in overtime

It went back and forth in the second edition of the final rematch between Cortina and Ritten and in the end the defending champions from Ritten prevailed again and, as on October 27, the game ended 5:4/OT. Cortina first took the lead in the tenth minute, but the visitors pulled away to 3:1 by the 34th minute. Among others, Diego Cuglietta scored a brace. Things then really got going in the final period. First Cortina came back into the game and equalized in the 54th minute, before the Buam took the lead again through Alan Lobis two and a half minutes before the end. However, Luca Barnabo scored the final goal in regulation time with just nine seconds remaining to equalize again. In overtime, it was finally Markus Spinell who scored the game-winner just 21 seconds before the end to give third-placed Ritten their first win after three consecutive defeats. Cortina, fifth in the table, suffered their first defeat after three wins in a row.

League leaders Zell am See end Sterzing's winning streak
League leaders EK Die Zeller Eisbären have ended the five-game winning streak of the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan. The Salzburg team prevailed 5:3 away from home in an exciting game. After a brace from Hubert Berger, Zell am See led 2:0 after 17 minutes, but Sterzing was unimpressed and after 48 minutes the score was tied 3:3. The score remained that way until five minutes before the end, but then Frederik Widen scored to make it 4:3 for the “Polar Bears”, and with just a few seconds left on the clock they scored the final goal with an empty-netter.

Unterland win at home against Kitzbühel
Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel lost 2:5 at Hockey Unterland Cavaliers, meaning the Tyroleans slipped to fourth place in the table. Unterland climbed to seventh place. Although the visitors took the lead in the seventh minute, the team from Neumarkt then took command. The Cavaliers pulled away to 3:1 by the 33rd minute. Kitzbühel reduced the deficit to 2:3 in the third period, but the “Eagles” hopes were short-lived, as the home side restored their two-goal lead just four minutes later. They scored the final goal with an empty-netter.

Merano celebrates next victory
HC Meran/o was able to continue its upward trend against EC Bregenzerwald. The South Tyroleans, who climbed to eighth place in the table and celebrated their second win in a row, won 3:1. For Bregenzerwald, it was one of four defeats from the past five games. The Vorarlberg side remain eleventh in the table. In Merano, Fabian Ranftl initially put ECB ahead (9.), but the home side turned the game around in the second period with a brace from Skate Skalde. The center scored both goals in the power play. HCM added two more goals in the final period.

Jesenice now second in the table
In SIJ Acroni Jesenice's narrow 3:2 home win against bottom of the table HC Gherdeina valgardena.it, the new second-placed team took the lead in the ninth minute. The Slovenians pulled 3:1 ahead by the 44th minute, but the visitors managed to close the gap to 2:3 with just under two minutes remaining, but were then unable to equalize and so suffered their fourth straight defeat. It was Jesenice's third win in a row.

Alps Hockey League:
Thursday, 19.12.2024:
SIJ Acroni Jesenice – HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 3:2 (1:0, 1:1, 1:1)
Referees: LESNIAK, UNTERWEGER, Arlic, Javornik. | Spectators: 300
Goals JES: 1:0 Valtola O. (9.), 2:0 Cimzar T. (29.), 3:1 Selan M. (44.)
Goals GHE: 2:1 Deluca S. (30.), 3:2 Prosofsky K. (58.)

Hockey Unterland Cavaliers – Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel 5:2 (1:1, 2:0, 2.1)
Referees: EGGER, STEFENELLI, Fecchio, Pace. | Spectators: 309
Goals CAV: 1:1 Galassiti G. (8.), 2:1 Samitis K. (24.), 3:1 Sanoll S. (33.), 4:2 Girardi D. (51.), 5:2 Remolato N. (60./EN)
Goals KEC: 0:1 Lippitsch J. (7.), 3:2 Lippitsch J. (47.)

Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan – EK Die Zeller Eisbären 3:5 (1:3, 1:0, 1:2)
Referees: LAZZERI, VIRTA, Formaioni, Rinker. | Spectators: 583
Goals WSV: 1:3 Capannelli A. (20.), 2:3 Galimberti T. (35.), 3:3 Hackhofer F. (48.)
Goals EKZ: 0:1 Berger H. (10.), 0:2 Berger H. (17.), 0:3 Egger M. (19.), 3:4 Widen F. (56.), 3:5 Johansson R. (60./EN)

HC Meran/o Pircher – EC Bregenzerwald 4:1 (0:1, 2:0, 2:0)
Referees: BENVEGNU, RUETZ, Cusin, Rivis. | Spectators: 200
Goals HCM: 1:1 Skalde S. (22./PP1), 2:1 Skalde S. (25./PP1), 3:1 Gellon D. (45.), 4:1 Fuchs J. (60.)
Goal ECB: 0:1 Ranftl F. (9.)

S.G. Cortina Hafro – Rittner Buam SkyAlps 4:5/OT (1:0, 0:3, 3:1)
Referees: RIVIS, SORAPERRA, Grisenti, Scalzeri. | Spectators: 410
Goals SGC: 1:0 DiTomaso G. (10./PP2), 2:3 Ushnev N. (42.), 3:3 DiTomaso G. (54.), 4:4 Barnabo L. (60.)
Goals RIT: 1:1 Marzolini M. (28.), 1:2 Cuglietta D. (29./PP1), 1:3 Cuglietta D. (34.), 3:4 Lobis A. (58./PP1), 4:5 Spinell M. (65./OT)