Release from 12.12.2025

Salzburg celebrates overtime win in Villach and defends sixth place

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In the only Friday game of the win2day ICE Hockey League, EC Red Bull Salzburg defeated EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV 4–3 after overtime. The defending champions came from behind twice and secured their sixth-place position in the standings with the victory. The matchup also marked a milestone, as the league surpassed the 500,000-fan attendance mark for the current season.

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The contest was a rescheduled fixture from Round 18, which had to be postponed due to Salzburg’s participation in the CHL Round of 16. Around 3,400 spectators gathered in Villach’s Stadthalle on Friday night. With this game, the win2day ICE Hockey League reached 500,000 fans in the arenas earlier than at any time since the 2019/20 season. On the ice, both teams produced an intense and fast-paced battle from the start. Salzburg began with strong pressure, but a double minor penalty against Thomas Raffl shifted the momentum toward the hosts. The Carinthians took advantage of the powerplay: after Guus van Nes was denied by goalie Atte Tolvanen, Elias Wallenta buried the rebound to make it 1–0 – the score that stood after the first period.

The defending champions also started the second period well but couldn’t capitalize early. Instead, the home team struck again when Adam Helewka converted a perfect feed from Wallenta for a 2–0 lead. The Red Bulls, however, responded impressively and tied the game within two minutes. First, Troy Bourke redirected a shot past the goalie, and moments later, Travis St. Denis found the net after fine setup work by Michael Raffl – playing his first game in Villach as an opponent – and Brandon Coe.

The final period developed into an open exchange of chances, with Wallenta once again making his mark. The Vorarlberg native finished off a two-on-one break to put Villach back in front with his second of the night. That 3–2 advantage held until just under two minutes before regulation time expired, when Villach-born Lucas Thaler blasted home the equalizer for Salzburg.

The game went into overtime, where Salzburg struck again with the man advantage. As in their first meeting of the season – also decided in overtime – it was Connor Corcoran who sealed the win for the Red Bulls.

win2day ICE Hockey League:
Fri, 12.12.2025:
EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV – EC Red Bull Salzburg 3:4 OT (1:0, 1:2, 1:1)
Referees: HOLZER, SMETANA, Bärnthaler, Bedynek.
Goals 1:0 VSV Elias Jeronimo Wallenta (7:49 / Guus van Nes / Nikita Scherbak / PP1), 2:0 VSV Adam Helewka (28:33 / Elias Jeronimo Wallenta / EQ), 2:1 RBS Troy Wayne Bourke (35:21 / Benjamin Nissner / EQ), 2:2 RBS Travis St. Denis (37:29 / Brandon Coe / Michael Raffl / EQ), 3:2 VSV Elias Jeronimo Wallenta (48:43 / Nikita Scherbak / EQ), 3:3 RBS Lucas Thaler (58:03 / Tyler James Lewington / Dennis Robertson / EQ), 3:4 RBS Connor Corcoran (63:50 / Michael Raffl / Lucas Thaler / PP1)