Colin Furlong suffered three defeats. © Max Pattis

Tame boys are defeated in Kitzbühel

The Ritten Buam suffered their third consecutive defeat in the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) on Thursday. Against Kitzbühel, the Buam couldn't find their rhythm and had to concede defeat in a rather unspectacular game. Meran and Wipptal fared better, both reaching overtime in their respective matches.

30 October 2025

From: do

After the two unfortunate penalty shootout defeats against KHL Sisak, the Rittner Buam The team hoped to get back on track on Thursday evening in Klobenstein. However, against the strong Kitzbühel Eagles, who are also vying for the top spots in the league, the home team struggled from the outset. Penalties and a lack of offensive productivity meant little excitement for the hosts and another disappointing evening in which the Ritten players never really found their rhythm. They suffered a 0-3 defeat.

Ritten appeared tired at the start, consistently a step too late and allowing the visitors far too much leeway. Their build-up play lacked precision, and their defensive organization was inconsistent. Goalie Colin Furlong initially kept his team in the game with several saves, while on the other end, Thomas McCollum in the Kitzbühel net was rarely tested. To make matters worse, the Buam (Ritten's nickname) conceded several penalties in the second period, disrupting their own rhythm. One of these penalty kills ultimately led to the 0-1 goal, when Niklas Ketonen found Matic Podlipnik with a cross-ice pass, who easily tapped the puck into the empty net (27:26).

Diego Cuglietta couldn't prevent the defeat. © Instagram / Max Pattis

Even after the second break, the game remained tough for Ritten. The visitors capitalized on a two-man advantage, with Podlipnik scoring again after just under four minutes, assisted by Ketonen, making it 2-0 and presenting the Ritten Buam with a daunting task in the final quarter (47-26). They not only had to overcome a two-goal deficit but also finally get their offense flowing. And indeed, after conceding the second goal, the Buam's attacks appeared more purposeful. Brett Welychka had two good scoring opportunities. However, this offensive drive also meant that Ritten left gaps open in defense. Kitzbühel then capitalized on a successful counter-attack, with Markus Hanl scoring to make it 3-0 (50-11), effectively sealing the victory.

Merano kills the polar bears

They did better MeranoThe Eagles, who had recently suffered four consecutive defeats, pulled off a somewhat surprising 5-4 shootout victory against the Zell am See Ice Bears. The spa town team staged a remarkable comeback from 0-2 down, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead. However, Zell also knew how to mount a comeback, tying the game at 4-4 in the third period. Nevertheless, Merano emerged victorious – Rasmus Nousiainen converted the decisive penalty shot.

Wipptal and Jesenice played a close match. © Oskar Brunner

The way food is Wipptal Broncos They played overtime on Thursday. Against Jesenice, the Hungarians scored the equalizer to make it 3-3 with about a minute and a half left on the clock, forcing extra time. But unlike Meran, the Wild Horses were unable to secure the extra point this time. Hrobat Plemelj converted the decisive penalty for Jesenice, who thus won the match 4-3 after a penalty shootout.

Alps Hockey League, Thursday

KHL Sisak – Red Bull Salzburg Juniors 6:4
Goals: 1:0 Marinkovic (3.12), 1:1 Schreiner (8.26), 1:2 Oberhauser (9.19), 2:2 Idzan (11.04), 3:2 Yeob (19.01), 3:3 Maul (23.35), 4:3 Malenica (25.30), 5:3 Marinkovic (35.01), 5:4 Juhola (36.17), 6:4 Yeob (42.07)
Audience:1564

Zell am See – HC Meran 4:5 nP
Goals: 1:0 Widen (10.00), 2:0 Putnik (22.53), 2:1 Trivellato (27.30), 2:2 Traversa (29.01), 2:3 Traversa (34.20), 2:4 Nousiainen (45.27), 3:4 Wilfan (49.59), 4:4 Tschurnig (52.57), 4:5 decisive penalty Nousuainen
Audience: 1972

Rittner Buam – Kitzbühel EC 0:3
Goals: 0:1 Podlipnik (27.26), 0:2 Podlipnik (44.10), 0:3 Hanl (50.11)
Audience: 311

Wipptal Broncos – HDD Jesenice 3-3
Goals: 0:1 Pecnik (22.52), 1:1 Livingston (26.09), 2:1 Soraruf (35.14), 2:2 Hebar (43.29), 3:2 Cianfrone (52.31), 3:3 Lesnicar (58.57), 3:4 decisive penalty Hrobat Plemelj
Audience: 281

The table