Kaltern put up a good fight against the heavy favorites. © Paolo Basso

A magnificent performance: Kaltern upsets Asiago in the Supercup

On Saturday evening, the first competitive match of the domestic ice hockey season took place: SV Kaltern battled against HC Asiago for the Supercup. Although the Pike were denied a happy ending, their performance was nonetheless remarkable.

September 12, 2026

From: leo

The Italian Super Cup was awarded for the 25th time. Reigning Italian champions Asiago faced cup winners and IHL champions Kaltern. The game at the Odegar in Asiago, which had only reopened on Thursday after renovations, was incredibly exciting and ended with a 4-3 victory for Stellati after a penalty shootout.

This victory crowned them Supercup champions for the seventh time in history. They thus surpassed the Rittner Buam, who have six titles, and became the record holders. Despite the defeat, the Hechte will return home with their heads held high. Against one of the favorites for the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) title, they played on equal terms for the full 60 minutes.

Kaltern's incredible comeback

The spectators witnessed a blistering start from the home team, who took the lead in the 5th minute through Robert Calisti. MacGregor Sharp's team struggled to find their rhythm and conceded goals from Lorenzo Ferretti and AlpsHL MVP Ryan Valentini. Despite falling behind 0-3, the underdog refused to give up – quite the opposite. Maximilian Sölva and Joonas Alanne rekindled their hopes before the end of the first period.

From then on, the teams gave each other no quarter. The fact that a trophy was at stake was evident in the boxing match between 17-year-old Paul Innerhofer and Filippo Rigoni in the second period. Asiago tried to extend their lead, but goaltender Samuel Rohregger consistently thwarted their efforts. And so the game remained tense until the very end. Just when everything pointed to an Asiago victory, Moritz Selva managed to tie the game on the power play. Only two and a half minutes remained at that point. Before overtime, Sharp's team also successfully killed off a penalty kill.

Nothing changed on the scoreboard in overtime, so the game went to a penalty shootout: Asiago goalie Rudy Rigoni stopped all four attempts by the Hechte, while Nicholas Porco and Valentini Rohregger were beaten. The trophy thus went to the Stellati, but in Asiago, it felt like there were two winners.

Val Gardena defeats Cortina

Simultaneously, HC Gherdëina played their final preseason game before the season opener next Saturday. The Furies won 3-2 against Cortina in front of their home fans at the Pranives arena.

HC Gherdëina narrowly won. © Robin Bernardi

The scoring spree was opened by none other than Massimo Pietroniro, who was still playing for Ampezzo last season. Cortina responded in the 13th minute through Oskari Kalajanniska, before Davide Schiavone put HCG back in the lead before the end of the period. Shortly after the restart, Marco Sanna leveled the score again. Hannes Kasslatter finally sealed the victory in the 43rd minute.

Supercup:

HC Asiago – SV Kaltern 4:3 (after penalties)
Goals: 1:0 Calisti (4.24), 2:0 Ferretti (9.49), 3:0 Valentini (11.56), 3:1 Maximilian Sölva (13.43), 3:2 Alanne (16.10), 3:3 Selva (57.31); decisive penalty: Porco
Audience: 1840

Test match:

HC Gherdëina – Cortina 3:2
Goals: 1:0 Pietroniro (7.27), 1:1 Kalajanniska (12.27), 2:1 Schiavone (17.20), 2:2 Sanna (23.16), 3:2 Kasslatter (42.17)