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Eddie Pasquale was Pustertal's rock in the storm. © EC Red Bull Salzburg / Manuel Mackinger - EC Red Bull Salzburg
The champion is faltering: Pustertal is unstoppable.
1804 days have passed since Red Bull Salzburg last lost a playoff series in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). After the third quarterfinal victory by a fantastic HC Falkensteiner Pustertal, this streak is in danger of coming to an end.
March 14, 2026
From: leo
Who would have bet that HC Pustertal would be leading 3-0 after three playoff games against the four-time reigning champions and have a chance at a sweep on Tuesday? Probably only the most optimistic. But now this previously unthinkable scenario is reality. On Friday, Jason Jaspers' team celebrated a well-deserved 4-3 away victory, earning themselves four match points.
As surprising as the series standings may seem at first glance, they are the logical consequence of what happened on the ice. Pustertal was not only on par with the favorites on Saturday, but for long stretches they were once again superior: in terms of skill, tactics, and skating. And above all, it is the team cohesion that makes the decisive difference. While the Bulls appear like a horde of individual players, HCP is a tight-knit group.
Nerves like wire ropes
It wasn't just the players who stole the spotlight at the Salzburg ice arena; the referees were also in the spotlight. After Andreas Huber called a match penalty against his own brother Mario, a highly controversial incident occurred with the score at 2-1 in Puster's favor. A Rueschhoff goal was disallowed for high-sticking, even though the American didn't touch the puck in the air. What likely led the officials to disallow the goal was contact with Tolvanen's block glove. This decision had far-reaching consequences, as the score was soon tied at 2-2 instead of 1-3.
The fact that the Wolves weren't fazed by this situation is a testament to their character. They continued to focus on their own strengths, capitalized on the weaknesses of the Bulls' weak defense, and impressively neutralized the opposing power play. Salzburg is still waiting for its first power-play goal after three games – despite Thomas Raffl and his teammates having already had nine power plays. This is one of the main reasons why the Wolves are on the verge of reaching the semifinals.
Daniel Glira and his teammates could secure their place in the semifinals as early as next Tuesday, when the fourth game of the series takes place at the Intercable Arena (7:45 p.m.). Besides HCP, the Graz 99ers are also close to advancing to the semifinals after their third victory against Villacher SV.
The highlights
| Shock start | Like firefighters rushing to a blaze, the Bulls started the game with a bang. Bourke's 1-0 goal, brilliantly set up in the slot by Michael Raffl, was a logical consequence. |
| The perfect answer | Despite being behind, Pustertal is unfazed – quite the opposite. In the 14th minute, Lobis plays a perfect through ball to Bardreau, who makes no mistake. |
| A stroke of genius | The Wolves came out of the first intermission with great energy. Frycklund won a battle against St-Denis behind the net and outsmarted Tolvanen with a clever trick. |
| How bitter | First a disallowed goal, then several missed scoring opportunities, and finally Nienhuis' long-range shot to make it 2-2: suddenly everything was going against HCP. Nevertheless, a thunderous slapshot from Lauridsen put the Wolves back in front. |
| What's going on here? | At the end of the second period, two goals are scored within 18 seconds: First, Auer deflects a Krygier shot, making it impossible to stop, before Blum simply fires a shot after a Bowlby pass, thus completing the counter-attack. |
| Pasquale is keeping quiet | The Wolves can always rely on the outstanding Pasquale. The Canadian made several brilliant saves in the final period – and also had the necessary luck when Nissner hit the post. |
Red Bull Salzburg – HC Pustertal 3-4
RBS: Tolvanen (Kickert); Stephens-Corcoran, Nienhuis-Krygier, Robertson-Lewington, Rebernig; Thomas Raffl-Nissner-Schneider, Michael Raffl-St. Denis-Bourke, Coe-Thaler-Huber, Kraus-Baltram-Schreier, Auer.coach: nurseries
HCP: Pasquale (Rabanser); Blum-Almquist, Lauridsen-DiTomaso, Glira-Osmanski, Zanatta; Saracino-Bardreau-Rueschhoff, Bowlby-Ticar-Purdeller, Lobis-Frycklund-Lipon, Mantinger-Andergassen-Deluca.
Trainer: Jasper
Gates: 1:0 Bourke (2.50), 1:1 Bardreau (13.33), 1:2 Frycklund (21.40), 2:2 Nienhuis (27.29), 2:3 Lauridsen (35.24), 3:3 Auer (37.33), 3:4 Blum (37.51)
Viewers: 3400
Status in the series: 0:3
ICE Hockey League:
Graz 99ers – Villach SV 3:1Goals: 1:0 Swaney (10.18), 2:0 Huber (13.30), 2:1 Wall (26.52), 3:1 Kotkansalo (35.04)
Audience: 4126
Score in the series: 3:0
HC Bozen – Olimpija Ljubljana 2:3
Goals: 1:0 Bradley (2.52), 2:0 Bradley (27.24), 2:1 Mahkovec (47.01), 2:2 MacWilliam (47.15), 2:3 Meyer (47.39)
Audience: 3920
Score in the series: 1:2
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