The Ritten Buam are aiming for the title. © Diego Barbieri

Ritten's derby celebrations in the Milan cauldron

The Ritten/Renon Buam and HC Asiago will battle for the 92nd Italian championship title on Sunday evening. In front of a frenzied crowd, Simon Kostner and his teammates secured their place in the final on Saturday evening with a hard-fought victory against the Wipptal Broncos.

10 January 2026

From: leo

Just hours after HC Asiago eliminated reigning champions Cortina 2-1, the two South Tyrolean clubs battled it out in a fast-paced, exciting, and thrilling semifinal. The match took place in a special atmosphere, as thousands of Milanese ice hockey fans flocked to the Santa Giulia Arena, creating a roaring roar. In the end, it was the Buam who celebrated, emerging victorious with a 3-2 win.

The game began without any major incidents. Neither Dominik Groh in the Broncos' net nor his counterpart Colin Furlong had to demonstrate their full potential in the first period. That changed in the second period when the game suddenly picked up pace. Robert Öhler missed the first clear scoring opportunity, attempting to outmaneuver Groh on a breakaway but losing possession of the puck. Shortly afterward, the depleted Broncos (missing players including Jerkko Rämo, Bryson Cianfrone, and Connor Sanvido) took a 1-0 lead: Davide Conci left Jacob Crespi in his wake and beat Furlong between the pads. A minute and a half later, Alex Zecchetto extended the lead to 2-0 with a powerful shot into the top corner.

Suspense until the end

Ritten continued to struggle to create scoring opportunities, but then gratefully accepted a gift from Wipptal: Groh misjudged a harmless shot from Manuel Öhler. And that wasn't all: Brett Welychka, who finished off a 2-on-1 situation, and Brandon Alderson, who slipped a loose puck through Groh's legs, turned the game on its head within 21 seconds. The favorites then switched to cruise control, frustrating Wipptal, including Pustertal loanee Ivan Deluca, until the final buzzer.

James Livingston and Diego Cuglietta at the bullying match. © Diego Barbieri

Ritten thus secured their place in the final, which is scheduled for Sunday at 20 p.m. The Wild Horses, however, have little time to catch their breath, as they have to play Cortina for third place at 11 a.m. Between these two matches, SV Kaltern will battle Alleghe for the Italian Cup (3:15.30 p.m.).

Italian Championship, Semi-finals:

HC Asiago – SG Cortina 2:1
Goals: 1:0 Valentini (31.04), 2:0 Johnson (37.19), 2:1 De Zanna (37.37)
Audience: 3200

Rittner Buam – Wipptal Broncos 3:2
Goals: 0:1 Conci (28.43), 0:2 Zecchetto (30.20), 1:2 Öhler (36.13), 2:2 Welychka (38.35), 3:2 Alderson (38.56)
Audience: 4300