Scott Valentine in a duel with Matthias Böhm. © EC Red Bull Salzburg/Gintare Karpaviciute

Confident Bolzano residents: “We expected to win”

Thanks to their fifth consecutive win, HCB Südtirol Alperia are now just one point behind league leaders Olimpija Ljubljana in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL), who have also played one game more. Following the convincing victory against reigning champions Red Bull Salzburg, HCB coach Kurt Kleinendorst expressed confidence.

04 October 2025

From: leo

Yes, Red Bull Salzburg were once again missing numerous regular players such as Brandon Coe, Troy Bourke and Peter Hochkofler from Eppan. To win 4-1 in Salzburg, is still a statement from HC Bolzano. They once again shone with their defensive compactness – and with their goalkeeper Gianluca Vallini. The Bolzano native and Sam Harvey, who have each played three games so far, have conceded only eight goals – a league best. Even the highly praised Salzburg offense, led by Michael Raffl, was frustrated by the Bolzano defense despite 34 shots.

"We had a lot of good chances today. What we were missing were the goals," emphasized Salzburg coach Manny Viveiros after the match. "Our own mistakes, which we can't afford against a top team like Bolzano, ultimately cost us the win. Things can't always go as planned, but we also have to congratulate our opponents, who played a good away game today."

Kleinendorst is happy

Bolzano coach Kleinendorst, on the other hand, said: "Everyone knows who sets the bar in this league. We have great respect for Salzburg. But we still expected to win before the game because we trust in our own abilities. It wasn't our best performance, but with great effort we achieved the result we hoped for." The most important thing for Kleinendorst is the way his team performs. The result on the scoreboard will then take care of itself. "I have a great group. Every day they try to implement what we ask of them – and you can see the result in the games," praised the American.

Eddie Pasquale won with HC Pustertal in Feherva. © Soos Attila

HC Pustertal also had reason to celebrate on Friday, Fehervar with a concentrated performance beat 3-1. Two goals in the first two minutes laid the foundation for what was ultimately a comfortable victory. "We got off to a fantastic start," said Jason Jaspers. "However, leading 2-0 so early can also be dangerous. I think we did a very good job of minimizing the risk and managing the lead. It was to be expected that Fehervar would come out stronger in the third period. Up until now, we've always put in strong performances on the road. I'm proud of the boys."

The Pustertal team doesn't have much time to recover from this victory, as they face the Vienna Capitals in Vienna on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Bolzano, on the other hand, won't be in action again until Sunday, when they face league leaders Olimpija Ljubljana at 6 p.m. at the Sparkasse Arena.