SV Kaltern won the title in the IHL.

A fantastic end to the fabulous season: Kaltern is champion!

Rarely has a title win been so deserved: SV Kaltern converted its first match puck in the Italian Hockey League (IHL) final on Thursday evening, winning the fifth championship in the club's history. The sixth game of the best-of-7 series turned into a showpiece for Teemu Virtala's team.

10 April 2025

Although Aosta had lost all four of their regular season matches, the situation was still open going into the final: The Gladiators undoubtedly had the better individual players, while the Hechte relied on their closeness, willingness to run, and indomitable will. This strategy proved to be a winning strategy. On Thursday, the Überetsch team won their fourth consecutive game 800-7 in front of 4 fans in Aosta, securing the final victory they needed. For the first time since 2021, Florian Wieser and his team are back on top of the IHL.

It wasn't just the players who couldn't contain themselves after the final whistle; the large KSV fans in the stands were also in overdrive. It was a fitting end to a season that was perfect for a long time, but also marked by difficulties. The Pikes had to go the full mile in the semifinals against Varese, and they were also trailing 0-2 in the final series. However, the Virtala team always emerged stronger from these lows, showed character, and has now reached the goal of their dreams.

Kaltern starts like a fire brigade

Michael Sölva had in the run-up to the match underlines the importance of the first hit. His teammates clearly took this advice to heart, as after less than four minutes, the score was already 1-0. Raphael Felderer made the decisive save on a long-range shot by Jonas Schöpfer. Aosta initially struggled to find a way past Kaltern's tightly packed defense. But in the 17th minute, the goal drought finally broke: On the power play, Matteo Luisetti shot from the blue line, but goalie Samuel Rohregger didn't hold onto the ball, leaving Patrick Timpone with an easy shot.

The Kaltern fans who had traveled with the team were nervous too. © Roger Berthod

The visitors' response was vehement. Just 45 seconds later, Andreas Vinatzer scored to regain the lead, and shortly afterward, the aforementioned Sölva finished off a dream combination involving Florian Wieser and Marko Virtala on the power play.

Merano's Lorenzo Marinelli, who witnessed SV Kaltern's championship titles in 2019 and 2021 as goalkeeper for HC Merano, was beaten for a fourth time at the beginning of the middle period. After brilliant preparatory work by Wieser, Alex Oberrauch only had to put up a save. Kaltern subsequently struggled with discipline and had to accept a 2-4 goal from Nick Nardella on the power play. But the Pikes didn't let their composure deter them, and – also on the power play – they restored the previous lead. This time, Wieser capitalized on a Marinelli rebound.

The big party begins

With a clear 5-2 lead behind them, the South Tyroleans switched to management mode in the final period. They played the puck deep, kept the opponent out of their own zone, and avoided individual errors. The Gladiators failed to rally, instead becoming increasingly nervous and accumulating countless penalties.

There was little to celebrate for the home fans other than Joshua Berger's goal to make it 3-5, a solo effort while shorthanded. Oskari Siiki first scored with a solo effort, then fired into an empty net. Nardella's interim goal to make it 4-6 didn't add any excitement. After the game, helmets and gloves flew through the air, and the celebrations in Kaltern began.

Italian Hockey League, final:

HC Aosta – SV Kaltern 4:7
Goals: 0:1 Felderer (3.54), 1:1 Timpone (16.05), 1:2 Vinatzer (16.50), 1:3 Michael Sölva (18.47), 1:4 Oberrauch (21.08), 2:4 Nardella (30.57), 2:5 Siiki (38.05), 3:5 Berger (51.09), 3:6 Siiki (53.58), 4:6 Nardella (57.43), 4:7 Siiki (59.04)
Audience: 800
Final score in the series: 2:4