Simon Pitschieler and HC Gröden missed out on an upset against Salzburg II. © Kostner

Gröden fights hard, but the league leader wins.

HC Gherdëina missed out on a coup against the league leaders, namely the Red Bull Juniors, in the Alps Hockey League on Wednesday evening.

14 January 2026

From: sn/dl

Only five games are taking place in the AlpsHL this week. One of them was played on Wednesday in Wolkenstein, where HC Gröden lost 2-4 against league leaders Salzburg II. The home team was already trailing 0-2 after just ten minutes. The in-form and strong home team thus missed out on their second home win against Salzburg this season.

The game began with Salzburg dictating the pace and repeatedly pinning HCG back in their own zone. After four minutes, the score became 1-0 when Gesson fired a shot from the slot that beat Rindone under his glove. Shortly after, the home team had a great chance to equalize on a counterattack, but Salzburg goalie Haitzmann prevented it with a strong save against Dostalek. Wurzer's goal to make it 2-0 was avoidable, but it came after a face-off. Biondi came close to pulling one back with a solo effort just before the end of the period, but once again Haitzmann rose to the occasion.

Val Gardena without Fortune

The Furies had terrible luck at the start of the second period, as both Dostalek and Luisetti hit the post. Guimond also failed to convert a promising scoring opportunity against Haitzmann. After successfully killing a power play, Dostalek found himself alone in front of the net after a pass from Pitschieler – but once again, the puck wouldn't go in. And so it came to pass: Lanzinger scored with a slapshot to make it 3-1. Nevertheless, the Skokan team didn't give up and pulled one back through Carmine Buono, who scored from the high slot.

Salzburg II celebrates a narrow away victory in Val Gardena. © Studio Kostner

HCG's comeback attempt suffered a setback early in the final period when Greil scored on a rebound in the 42nd minute. The game then became disjointed, with frequent stoppages preventing any real flow. Moncada and his teammates pressed hard, but luck wasn't on the home team's side that evening. Nevertheless, Kasslatter scored to make it 3-4 with three and a half minutes remaining, finishing quickly after a pass from Esposito. Rindone left the ice late in the game, but the gamble didn't pay off, as Juhola scored into the empty net.

The AlpsHL continues on Saturday with the four remaining games of the week. At 19 p.m., the South Tyrolean derby between the Unterland Cavaliers and the Wipptal Broncos will take place.

AlpsHL: Wednesday's games

HC Gröden – Red Bull Juniors 3:4
0:1 Gesson (04:17), 0:2 Wurzer (09:52), 1:2 Moncada (26:35), 1:3 Lanzinger (36:58), 2:3 Buono (37:42), 2:4 Greil (41:38), 3:4 Kasslatter (56:40)
Audience: 927