Hannes Uffelmann & Co. beat the Cavaliers led by Fabian Pichler.

Two sensations and one duty fulfilled

What a start to the new year for South Tyrol's Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) teams! The Wipptal Broncos and HC Gherdëina both celebrated surprising victories against top teams. The Ritten Buam, on the other hand, showed their composure.

02 January 2026

From: leo

The battle for the Master Round is heating up. After the 30th matchday, EC Kitzbühel, the Rittner Buam, and HC Asiago are tied for fourth, fifth, and sixth place, respectively. This made it all the more crucial for Simon Kostner and his teammates to secure a victory against the Unterland Cavaliers on Friday evening – a 3-1 win after 60 minutes.

The Cavaliers got off to a better start, taking the lead after less than three and a half minutes following a counterattack: Viktor Eriksson buried the puck in the near top corner. Ritten then played with more attacking intent and created numerous good scoring opportunities. Diego Cuglietta capitalized on one of these, scoring the equalizer on a rebound after a shot from March. After Thomas Galimberti hit the crossbar towards the end of the first period, Cuglietta struck again in the 24th minute, this time assisted by Fink. The game subsequently became increasingly lackluster.

The only moment of excitement came in the final period when Artur Seniut hit the post. In the final minutes, the Cavaliers weakened themselves with a six-man penalty, and Robert Öhler sealed the 3-1 victory after a brilliant assist from Kostner.

Conci fires Broncos to victory

The 500 spectators who chose to attend the match in Sterzing witnessed a spectacular performance by Davide Conci. The 29-year-old scored a hat trick in the game against the Red Bull Juniors. But the striker from Pergine wasn't the only one to deserve special praise in the 4-2 victory. Goalkeeper Dominik Groh stopped 40 of the visitors' shots and boasted a save percentage of 93 percent.

The Broncos took the lead in the fifth minute through Conci, but then conceded a goal to make it 1-2. In a game marred by numerous penalties, Sjöquist's team remained composed and regained the lead through goals from Bryson Cianfrone and Conci. The third goal from the former HCP forward sealed the victory – even though Salzburg managed to pull one back late on a 5-on-3 power play through Maxim Eliseev.

Simon Pitschieler scored to make it 1-0. © Patrick Kelder

HC Gherdëina experienced a memorable evening, defeating EK Zell am See for the second time this season at their home arena in Pranives. Led by goaltender Paul Hofer, who recorded his first shutout of the winter, the home team won 3-0. In front of 1500 fans, Simon Pitschieler and Carmine Buono put their teammates on the path to victory within 48 seconds of each other in the first period. Then came the tense final minutes – until Stephan Deluca scored the empty-net goal with three minutes remaining.

Merano shows morality

Meanwhile, Tommaso Traversa became the spoilsport in HC Asiago's 3-2 overtime victory against HC Meran. The 35-year-old, who started the season with the Eagles and transferred to Stellati before Christmas, scored the opening goal and then assisted Carter Johnson on the second. Nevertheless, the Eagles salvaged a point thanks to goals from Reid Stefanson and Daniel Gellon, forcing overtime, where league-leading scorer Ryan Valentini sealed the win.

Alps Hockey League:

HDD Jesenice - KHL Sisak 3:0
Goals: 1:0 Svetina (18.11), 2:0 Marn (27.20), 3:0 Slivnik (57.04)
Audience: 500

EC Kitzbühel - EC Bregenzerwald 4:3 nP
Goals: 0-1 Posch (5:21), 0-2 Lipsbergs (8:08), 1-2 Aigner (31:02), 1-3 Kramer (38:37), 2-3 Crnkic (44:15), 3-3 Crnkic (47:44); decisive penalty: Crnkic
Audience: 1028

Wipptal Broncos – Red Bull Juniors 4:3
Goals: 1:0 Conci (4.29), 1:1 Gesson (23.02), 1:2 Schuster (29.38), 2:2 Cianfrone (37.18), 3:2 Conci (43.20), 4:2 Conci (49.36), 4:3 Eliseev (59.04)
Audience: 488

Unterland Cavaliers - Rittner Buam 1:3
Goals: 1:0 Eriksson (3.12), 1:1 Cuglietta (10.06), 1:2 Cuglietta (23.13), 1:3 Robert Öhler (58.07)
Audience: 437

HC Gherdëina - EK Zell am See 3:0
Goals: 1:0 Pitschieler (16.28), 2:0 Buono (17.16), 3:0 Deluca (56.08)
Audience: 1531

HC Meran - HC Asiago 2:3 OT
Goals: 0:1 Traversa (18.08), 0:2 Johnson (38.52), 1:2 Stefanson (39.12), 2:2 Gellon (54.14), 2:3 Valentini (60.49)
Audience: 870

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