Sterzing is new league leader | Zell am See wins top clash in Cortina

Zell am See wins top clash in Cortina
With a clear 3:0 away win at current runner-up S.G. Cortina Hafro, the EK Die Zeller Eisbären improved to the second place in the standings. Daniel Ban put the team from Salzburg in the lead in the 15th minute. Only two minutes later Clemens Paulweber increased in the power play to 2:0. Afterwards nothing happened for a long time. There were chances on both sides, but it took until the 59th minute before Daniel Ban scored an empty-net goal for the final decision in favor of the guests. For the 29-year-old it was the second goal of the evening and the fourth goal of the season. In addition, EKZ goalkeeper Max Zimmermann saved all 31 shots on his goal and celebrated his first shutout of the season. For the current runner-up Cortina it was the second defeat in the fourth game of the season. With six points, the Italians are in ninth place in the table. Zell am See is the only unbeaten team besides Vipiteno and is one point behind the leader from South Tyrol with eleven points.

Broncos still without a loss of points at the top of the table
Fourth game, fourth win for the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan, who thus climbed to the top of the Alps Hockey League table. On Thursday, the South Tyroleans narrowly beat the Red Bull Hockey Juniors with 3:2. For the Young Bulls it was the fourth defeat in the fourth game. After the first period, the score was still tied 1:1. In the second period, no further goals were scored. Three goals were scored in the last thirteen minutes of the game. First Adam Capannelli put the Broncos in the lead, only four minutes later Justin Maylan increased to 3:1. Paul Vinzens finally only managed to score the 2:3 for RBS three minutes before the end of the game.

First loss of the season for Unterland
Vipiteno thus replaced the Hockey Unterland Cavaliers at the top of the table. The South Tyrolean team was defeated by the Steel Wings Linz AG with 3:4 after shootout and thus lost points for the first time this season. For the Steel Wings, on the other hand, it was the first win of the season. With three points, the Upper Austrians are in thirteenth place in the table. Against Unterland, they initially had to chase a 0:1 deficit, but still took a 2:1 lead in the first period. Subsequently, Unterland equalized in the second period before the Steel Wings scored a power play goal to take the lead again. After Miro Markkula scored his second goal of the night in the 46th minute, Unterland tied the game again and went into overtime and shootout. In the shootout it was Lukas Necesany who scored the decisive penalty for Linz. For the Steel Wings it was the first win in the third duel with Unterland.

Ritten celebrates home win against Kitzbühel
The Ritten Buam SkyAlps prevailed against the EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel with 4:1. For the Tyroleans it was the first defeat after regular playing time. For Ritten, on the other hand, it was their third win in their fourth game of the season. Only against Cortina they lost after shootout. In the standings, the Buam are in third place. Kitzbühel is in sixth place. On Thursday, Kevin Fink put the Buam in the lead in the seventh minute. After that, there were three power play goals in a row. First Simon Kostner (33.) and Marco Insam (43.) increased the lead to 3:0, before Kitzbühel also scored for the first time through Martin Urbanek (55.). The hope for a late comeback was short-lived, however, as Kevin Fink scored an empty-net goal just two minutes later.

Fassa and Merano with clear home victories
Both the SHC Fassa Falcons and the HC Meran/o Pircher celebrated clear home victories. The Falcons won clearly against the EC-KAC Future Team with 6:2 despite an intermediate 0:1 deficit. Player of the match was Sebastian Erik Selin who scored a hat-trick to make it 3:1. The 31-year-old Swede scored his goals three, four and five for the eighth-placed team, which celebrated its first win after regular playing time.

The HC Meran/o Pircher also celebrated its first win of the season after regular playing time against league newcomer HK RST Pellet Celje. The eleventh-placed team in the table beat the bottom-placed team from Slovenia 5:0. Again, with Calder Anderson one player scored a hat trick. For the Canadian it was the first goals in the jersey of the South Tyroleans. In addition, HCM goalkeeper Frederic Cloutier celebrated a shutout.

Alps Hockey League | 28.09.2023:
Rittner Buam SkyAlps – EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel 4:1 (1:0, 1:0, 2:1)
Referees: PINIE, RUETZ, Cristeli, Cusin. | Spectators: 342
Goals RIT: 1:0 Fink K. (7. Coatta M.), 2:0 Kostner S. (33./PP1 Amorosa T. – Coatta M.), 3:0 Insam M. (43./PP1 Kostner J. – Prast J.), 4:1 Fink K. (57./EN)
Goals KEC: 3:1 Urbanek M. (55./PP1 Matzka M. – Maxa A.)

Hockey Unterland Cavaliers – Steel Wings Linz AG 3:4/SO (1:2, 1:1, 1:0)
Referees: KAINBERGER, WIDMANN, Wendner, Zacherl. | Spectators: 213
Goals HCU: 1:0 Markkula M. (5./SH1 Wieser F.), 2:2 Käryä A. (28. Matonti M. – Hällfors E.), 3:3 Markkula M. (46. Egger A.)
Goals SWL: 1:1 Persson W. (6./PP1 Söllinger P.), 1:2 Theirich M. (15. Söllinger P. – Dorion M.), 2:3 Haiböck M. (33./PP1), 3:4 Necesany L. (65./SO)

Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan – Red Bull Hockey Juniors 3:2 (1:1, 0:0, 2:1)
Referees: BENVEGNU, GIACOMOZZI, Pace, Vignolo. | Spectators: 269
Goals WSV: 1:0 Sanvido C. (11./PP1 Zecchetto A. – Cianfrone B.), 2:1 Capannelli A. (48. Niccolai A. - Gschliesser F.), 3:1 Maylan J. (52. Eisendle P. – Zecchetto A.)
Goals RBJ: 1:1 Assavolyuk D. (16. Zelenov V.), 3:2 Vinzens P. (57.)

S.G. Cortina Hafro Hockey – EK Die Zeller Eisbären 0:3 (0:2, 0:0, 0:1)
Referees: BAJT, VIRTA, Bergant, Fecchio. | Spectators: 449
Goals EKZ: 0:1 Ban D. (15. Huard N. - Unterluggauer N.), 0:2 Paulweber C. (17./PP1 Putnik P. – Alagic A.), 0:3 Ban D. (59./EN)

HC Meran/o Pircher – HK RST Pellet Celje 5:0 (1:0, 1:0, 3:0)
Referees: MOSCHEN, OREL, Grisenti, Wucherer. | Spectators: 300
Goals HCM: 1:0 Gellon D. (6. Ritchie N. – Anderson C.), 2:0 Anderson C. (25. Beber P. – Ritchie N.), 3:0 Rein N. (42. Anderson C. – Ritchie N.), 4:0 Anderson C. (45. Ritchie N. – Borgatello C.), 5:0 Anderson C. (49. Ritchie N. – Gellon D.)

SHC Fassa Falcons – EC-KAC Future Team 6:2 (1:1, 1:0, 4:1)
Referees: LAZZERI, RIVIS F., De Zordo, Rivis A. | Spectators: 159
Goals FAS: 1:1 Selin S. (10./PP1 Forte M. - Sylwander J.), 2:1 Selin S. (36./PP1 Sylwander J.), 3:1 Selin S. (47. Parmesani Abbott P. - Forte M.), 4:1 Forte F. (49. Selin S. - Sylwander J.), 5:1 Trottner N. (49. Deluca A. - Näslund V.), 6:2 Näslund V. (58./SH1/EN Biondi L.)
Goals KFT: 0:1 Schwarz M. (6. Klassek S. – Preiml M.), 5:2 Siftar A. (55. Preiml M.)

Copyright: Oskar Brunner