The Rittner Buam are aiming for their seventh Scudetto. © Max Pattis

Ritten invites Meran to the semi-final dance

On Tuesday, the Italian championship enters its hot phase. The Rittner Buam will host HC Meran in the IHL Serie A playoff semi-finals for the derby, while HC Gröden will be guests in Cortina.

20 January 2025

From: never

Before the big showdown in the Ritten Arena on Tuesday evening (20.00 p.m.), the defending champions' motto is clear. The Ritten Buam are aiming for the seventh Scudetto in the club's history. On the way to the final, which is a "best-of-3" format, an emotional highlight awaits in the semifinals - the derby against HC Meran. This season, the duel demanded everything from both sides, but in two out of three cases the Ritten team had the upper hand.

"Meran is a strong team that we never have it easy against. They play fast and hard, and we have to adapt to that," explained Ethan Szypula in an interview with the club ahead of the match. "We all have to be prepared, these will be great games." The Rittner Buam are currently in outstanding form, the leaders there have won nine of their last ten games in the Alps Hockey League, scoring 48 goals. The situation is different at HC Meran: three wins from their last ten games are not exactly encouraging. But derbies are derbies - Szypula has already warned against that.

HC Gröden stumbles – but not against Cortina

A first glance at HC Gröden's past performances would suggest that their semi-final exit against the 17-time champions from Cortina was already a foregone conclusion. But the bottom team in the Alps Hockey League managed to break free against their upcoming opponents. About two weeks ago, the South Tyroleans won 2:1 at home in overtime. This success - the third in the last ten matches - should now give them courage for the playoffs.

HC Gröden dreams of the final.

"It will certainly not be an easy task against Cortina," said veteran Brad McGowan. "The Ampezaners have a physical style of play, are quick to switch and have a good goalkeeper. Our analysts were nevertheless able to identify some weaknesses in our opponents. We definitely want to exploit these to trip them up," he continued. There is only one path for the supposed underdog. "Our goal is to get to the final." The club can take the first step towards the final on Tuesday from 20.30:XNUMX p.m.