Hannes Kasslatter (center) and the Val Gardena hockey players have every reason to celebrate.

Yesterday a ski party, today an ice hockey festival: 1200 Val Gardena residents celebrate

The big Ski World Cup has moved on, now the celebrations continue on a smaller scale in Val Gardena: In the packed Pranives Stadium in Selva di Val Gardena, the fans were completely ecstatic on Monday evening – primarily because of their very special ice hockey favorite.

22 December 2025

From: fop

From Thursday to Saturday, Marco Odermatt, Franjo von Allmen, Dominik Paris and others hurtled down the infamous Saslong. Just three kilometers from the World Cup finish area, namely in the ice stadium of Wolkenstein, the HC Gherdëina The next spectacle will take place on Monday: The Fury overran their arch-rivals wipptal with 6:3.

The third-to-last team in the Alps Hockey League, who just on Saturday had played out a wild 7-6 penalty shootout victory against Unterland on home ice, thus adds another chapter to their turbulent season. A chapter that bears the signature of Simon Pitschieler.

The 28-year-old is not only captain, a club stalwart, an ICE-experienced forward, and a fan favorite – but also of immense sporting value to HCG. He proved this once again this evening with a hat trick. Pitschieler first equalized at 1-1, then made it 2-2, before scoring the decisive 6-2 goal. He pounced on rebounds from close range for all three goals.

A well-deserved derby victory

And what did Wipptal do against the outstanding Pitschieler? The Broncos tried hard to match Pitschieler and his men, but repeatedly made glaring errors, such as at 4-2, when a turnover in the offensive zone led to Hannes Kasslatter scoring in the top corner. This was in the 48th minute of the game.

Gröden's Simon Pitschieler scored three goals against Wipptal.

After that, the tension dissipated – partly because Val Gardena ruthlessly exploited their dominance (40 shots on goal, 17 more than Vipiteno). Besides Pitschieler, who was celebrated by the nearly 1.200 fans, newcomer and two-goal scorer Vlastimil Dostalek and four-assist provider Luke Moncada also stood out for HCG. It was Val Gardena's first full points in three weeks, while Wipptal lamented their second derby defeat in Selva di Val Gardena.

Merano defeats the league leader

An equally crazy game unfolded for the spectators at the MeranArena, where the team, which has been struggling badly this season, was playing. HC Meran They cemented their status as giant-killers. The Eagles defeated league leaders Red Bull Juniors 3-2 in a penalty shootout.

Two key players were crucial to the upset victory for the team second from bottom in the standings: Andreas Bernard and Reid Stefanson. The goalie not only stopped 33 shots but also both of Salzburg's penalty shot attempts. The Canadian newcomer, with his ICE Hockey League background, shone with his skill, vision, scoring the equalizer to make it 1-1, and finally winning the penalty shootout. There, he and Samuel Claesson scored to secure a well-deserved home victory for Merano.

Unterland and Ritten squander lead

The Underland Cavaliers, who led Kitzbühel 2-1 and later 3-2, but ultimately conceded a bitter 3-4 defeat in the final minute of overtime. Until this collapse in the closing stages, goals from Erik Potsinok, Moritz Kaufmann, and Thomas Galimberti had given the bottom-of-the-table team hope for a much-needed victory.

After five consecutive successes, the Rittner Buam Another game lost on Monday evening. The Blue-Reds suffered a 2-4 defeat at home against bottom-of-the-table HDD Jesenice – despite leading until halftime. In the end, goals from Manuel Öhler and Leo Felicetti weren't enough to extend their winning streak and give their home fans a Christmas present in their last match before the holidays.

Monday's results:

HC Gherdëina - Wipptal Broncos 6:3
Goals: 0:1 Rämö (20.38), 1:1 Pitschieler (25.03), 1:2 Zandegiacomo (25.15), 2:2 Pitschieler (26.41), 3:2 Dostalek (28.47), 4:2 Kasslatter (47.06), 5:2 Dostalek (54.09), 6:2 Pitschieler (56.33), 6:3 Conci (59.31)
Audience: 1.145

HC Meran - RB Salzburg 3:2 (after penalties)
Goals: 0-1 Schuster (8.59), 1-1 Stefanson (10.18), 2-1 Cruseman (39.41), 2-2 Eliseev (43.34), 3-2 Claesson (decisive penalty)
Audience: 374

Unterland Cavaliers - EC Kitzbühel 3:4 OT
Goals: 0-1 Losing (22:39), 1-1 Erik Potsinok (24:06), 2-1 Kaufmann (29:25), 2-2 Fröwis (38:12), 3-2 Galimberti (44:27), 3-3 Bretschneider (48:56), 3-4 Losing (64:42)
Audience: 287

Rittner Buam - HDD Jesenice 2:4
Goals: 1:0 Manuel Öhler (8.36), 1:1 Koblar (15.15), 2:1 Felicetti (27.30), 2:2 Oblak (30.55), 2:3 Slivnik (43.45), 2:4 Burgar (49.36)
Audience: 280

SG Cortina - HC Asiago 5:2
Goals: 1:0 Massimo Pietroniro (8.28), 2:0 Sanna (15.24), 3:0 Massimo Pietroniro (27.46), 4:0 Kalajanniska (45.42), 4:1 Parco (45.42), 4:2 Porco (46.53), 5:2 Remolato (59.15)
Audience: 375

KHL Sisak - EK Zell am See 4:0
Goals: 1:0 Yeob (5.27), 2:0 Panasenko (21.55), 3:0 Brus (35.22), 4:0 Yeob (43.11)
Audience: 1.434