Release from 21.08.2026

Salzburg reach Red Bulls Salute final | KAC records intra-league preseason win

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EC Red Bull Salzburg advanced to the final of the Red Bulls Salute tournament on Friday with a 3–2 overtime win over Munich. While EC-KAC won their in‑league test against Ljubljana, Innsbruck and Milan also celebrated preseason victories.

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EC Red Bull Salzburg defeated EHC Red Bull München 3–2 in overtime at the Red Bulls Salute in Zell am See and will face EHC Biel-Bienne in Saturday’s final. In an evenly matched and hard-fought contest, Munich led 2–0 after 40 minutes in front of almost 2,200 spectators. Salzburg stepped up the pressure in the third period, with goals from Nick Poisson and Jayden Lee tying the game at 2–2. Michael Raffl then scored the decisive goal with just five seconds remaining in overtime.

Wins for KAC, Innsbruck and Milano
EC-KAC opened its preseason campaign with a win over Olimpija Ljubljana. In front of more than 2,000 fans at the Heidi Horten Arena, Jakob Hudson and Jan Mursak put the home side ahead twice in the first period. Chris Douglas briefly equalized, before Joshua Lawrence restored parity at 2–2 in the final period. Former Ljubljana player Jan Drozg decided the game in favour of the hosts with a power-play goal shortly before the final buzzer.

HC TIWAG Innsbruck also claimed a victory in its second preseason game. In the “return fixture” against HC Thurgau, the Tyrolean side fought back from a 2–0 deficit in the third period. The game went to overtime at 2–2, where Brett Davis scored the winner.

Milano Hockey Club won its first preparation game ahead of its debut season in the win2day ICE Hockey League. Milano defeated Rittner Buam SkyAlps 3–2. After Frycklund gave the visitors an early lead, the Alps Hockey League side turned the game around. Chiodo and Saracino nevertheless secured a winning start for Milano.

ICE league teams suffer defeats
The third preseason game for the Moser Medical Graz99ers took the Styrian side to Hradec Králové, where they faced HK Mountfield of the Czech Extraliga. After a balanced opening and a brief 1–1 equalizer, the depleted Graz team—missing several players—ultimately fell to the hosts 6–1.

The Vienna Capitals lost 6–5 in overtime to HC Slovan Bratislava at the Energie AG Motor Cup. The Capitals’ early struggles reflected the fact that it was their first preseason game. After falling 3–0 behind, Vienna temporarily turned the game around, but the contest eventually went to overtime, where Bratislava prevailed. The Capitals will conclude the preparation tournament against hosts HC Motor České Budějovice on Saturday.

As part of the Vinschgau Cup, HC Falkensteiner Pustertal faced DEL powerhouse ERC Ingolstadt in Latsch. The runners-up in the win2day ICE Hockey League battled back from a 3–0 deficit but fell short in the shootout. EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV, meanwhile, lost its first home preseason game. The Villach side was defeated 3–0 by Dresdner Eislöwen at Villacher Stadthalle.

FTC-Telekom lost 6–2 in Nitra. Schlekmann and Tammela scored the Hungarian side’s two goals in the second period. Hydro Fehérvár AV19 also suffered a 4–1 defeat against HC Košice, with Kulmala scoring for the hosts.

Preseason, win2day ICE Hockey League
Fri, 21.08.2026
Hydro Fehervar AV 19 - HC Kosice 1:4
Mountfield HK - Moser Medical Graz99ers 6:1
HC Slovan Bratislava - Vienna Capitals 6:5 OT
HK Nitra - FTC-Telekom 6:2
HC Thurgau - HC TIWAG Innsbruck 2:3 OT
EC-KAC - Olimpija Ljubljana 3:2
EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV - Dresdner Eislöwen 0:3
EHC Red Bull München - EC Red Bull Salzburg 2:3 OT
ERC Ingolstadt - HC Falkensteiner Pustertal 4:3 SO
Rittner Buam SkyAlps - Milano HC 2:3