HCB coach Kurt Kleinendorst and his team pulled off a coup. © Elmeri Elo / ElonKuvaus @elonkuv

Bolzano's finest hour: "A victory of character"

HCB Südtirol Alperia caused a sensation in the Champions Hockey League with a 4-3 victory over top Finnish club Lukko Rauma. A follow-up report.

September 01, 2025

From: dl

Who would have thought? The CHL has usually been more of a burden than a reward for HC Bozen/Bolzano. Under new coach Kurt Kleinendorst, this is set to change this year. The Canadian had already indicated in advance that he intends to take the CHL very seriously. Although Lukko Rauma had significantly more shots on goal (36:23) than HCB, the visitors impressed with their fighting spirit, efficiency, and an outstanding Sam Harvey in goal.

"Today we knew how to suffer and take advantage of our opportunities. We found a way to win this game. It's a victory of character, and we deserve these three points," Kleinendorst said after the game. It was the HCB's first CHL victory since October 5, 2021 – 1.426 days later.

Here is the decisive goal by Matt Bradley:

Bolzano's special memory

Curiously, HC Bozen's last away game in Rauma, at the end of November 2021, had to be canceled. At that time, the Foxes had already traveled to Finland and had to pack their bags without accomplishing anything. The reason for the cancellation was the coronavirus. Several tests for the hosts had come back positive.

For HCB, it was a trip that lived up to the motto "nothing but expenses." The trip to the far north had cost quite a bit – around €20.000. Due to time constraints, the match was never rescheduled, and Rauma advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to their first-leg victory. Now, almost four years later, HC Bozen has made peace.