Suddenly Rittner? March's return to South Tyrol

Without prior notice and therefore quite unexpectedly, Gianluca March played a game in the Alps Hockey League on Saturday evening.

12 October 2025

From: cst

The spectators in Cortina d'Ampezzo – only around 180 – must have rubbed their eyes in surprise on Saturday evening when a new Ritten signing suddenly appeared on the ice. Gianluca March skated into Cortina wearing the number 9 jersey of the Ritten Buam. What was unusual about this was that March was neither introduced as a new signing by the South Tyroleans, nor did anyone seem to have gotten wind of the move.

Background: March had last played for HC La Chaux-de-Fonds in the Swiss second league last season. However, in the summer, the Leiferer was not given a new contract, and all negotiations with other clubs also fell through. "Ultimately, no commitment at the level I wanted came about," March said a few weeks ago in Conversation with SportNews.

Whether the Alps Hockey League and the Rittner Buam will become the 28-year-old defenseman's permanent home remains to be seen. The fact is, March would be a significant asset in this league. Before his appearance in Cortina (the game ended in a 3-4 penalty shootout loss for Ritten), he had already played 215 times in the AlpsHL, in addition to 36 appearances in the ICE Hockey League and 65 games in the Swiss lower house.