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Daniel Frank led the way at HC Bozen with grit, passion and several goals. © V. Antonello
The game of his life: The HCB captain shows it to everyone
No other Bolzano player was so affected by the derby disgrace. No one else has suffered so much from recent failures. So who, if not Daniel Frank, should have redeemed HCB Südtirol Alperia on this Tuesday evening? He did this in a way never seen before.
09 January 2024
By: Alexander Foppa
Three goals in one game! Daniel Frank hasn't experienced anything like this since his youth. The leading wolf among the foxes led his team to the longed-for liberation against former leader Fehervar with a hat-trick and literally single-handedly ended the Bolzano results crisis. The HCB won 5:3 in Hungary.
Frank gave Bozen an early 1-0 lead and thus the derby slap against Pustertal from the minds of his teammates, later he single-handedly turned a 2:3 deficit into a 4:3. These were his number 13 to 15 points scorers this season. The Merano winger went where it hurts. He was the focal point at the front and back, and carried out exemplary fore and back checking. He hung up and scored himself. In short, the 29-year-old captain embodied in the “icebox” of Fehervar what HC Bozen has always stood for: passion, grit and a winning mentality.
However, this Bolzano gene still doesn't seem to be inoculated into every man in red and white. The Foxes were also very careless that evening, repeatedly losing control of the game and repeatedly inviting the Hungarians, who had also not won for four rounds, to score goals.
Vallini shines again
In the end it was thanks to the local cracks that Bolzano got back on track. Vallini, who (still) has the preference over Returning Sam Harvey received, parried brilliantly and celebrated his ninth victory in his tenth starting six appearance. Up front, Luca Frigo, Leo Felicetti and Pascal Brunner threw themselves into every shot, into every duel. And then there was Daniel Frank.The Frank show at a glance:
| Frank first | After a Valentine shot, Frank reacted quickest and scored to make it 1-0 (5th). The HCB captain had previously put the puck on his teammate's ladle. |
| Backsliders from Bolzano | The lead lasted less than half a minute when Phillips pushed the rubber into the net with a lot of force (6th), a short time later Bartalis was able to push in unhindered to make it 2-1 (10th). Although Mantunto equalized with a counterattack (33'), a hair-raising bad pass from Ford in the power play led to Bartalis' brace making it 3-2 (39'). |
| Vallinis monster save | Shortly after the second break, Vallini saved the HCB from the decisive 2:4. The Bolzano goalie makes the free-standing Leclerc despair with a brilliant deed. |
| Frank for second | This goal serves as an object lesson for every ice hockey school: Frank lurks long in front of the goal, pushes himself into the goalie's field of vision at the right time and then directs a Teves shot through his own legs into the goal. 3:3! |
| Frank for third | Frank is once again exactly where a striker should be. After Ford pulls away, he uses the rebound to make it 4:3 (58th). Frigo then fixed the final score with an empty net goal (59th). |
With this win, Bozen climbs back up to fifth place in the table and thus right into the playoff zone. At the same time, the Foxes keep HC Pustertal at bay, who defeated Olimpija Ljubljana 6:3.
Fehervar AV - HCB Südtirol Alperia 3:5
Fehervar: Roy (Horvath); Fournier-Campbell, Stipsicz-Phillips, Atkinson-Nilsson, Roland Kiss; Laberge-Hari-Kuralt, Leclerc-Bartalis-Magosi, Vertes-McGauley-Leavens, Mihaly-Nemeth-Terbocs, Ambrus.Coach: David Kiss
HSBC: Vallini (Harvey); Valentine-Vandane, Miglioranzi-Parlett, Teves-Di Perna, Pietroniro; Frank-Ford-Thomas, Halmo-McClure-Gazley, Miceli-Mantenuto-Frigo, Brunner-Alberga-Felicetti.
Coach: Glen Hanlon
Gates: 0:1 Daniel Frank (4.53), 1:1 Markus Phillips (5.18), 2:1 Istvan Bartalis (9.15), 2:2 Daniel Mantenuto (32.45), 3:2 Istvan Bartalis (38.32), 3:3 Daniel Frank (45.12), 3:4 Daniel Frank (57.52), 3:5 Luca Frigo (59.03)
Viewers: 1.887
The other results:
HC Pustertal - Olimpija Ljubljana 6:3 (click here for the report)Goals: 1:0 Frycklund (2.35), 1:1 Leskinen (7.26), 1:2 Mehle (13.02), 2:2 Kasastul (25.28), 3:2 Hannoun (28.57), 4:2 Ege (30.09), 5:2 Sill (32.25), 5:3 Mehle (34.44), 6:3 Akeson (58.06)
Audience: 2.037
RB Salzburg - Asiago Hockey 3:1
Goals: 0:1 Rapuzzi (24.33), 1:1 Genoway (55.04), 2:1 Bourke (55.34), 3:1 Huber (58.02)
Audience: 2.452
Villacher SV - Vienna Capitals 3:4
Goals: 0:1 Widhalm (5.46), 0:2 Ticar (6.58), 0:3 Hartl (9.58), 1:3 Desjardins (16.28), 2:3 Hughes (46.57), 3:3 Hughes (53.28), 3:4 Weinger (58.27)
Audience: 3.019
HC Innsbruck - Klagenfurter AC 2:3
Goals: 0:1 Herburger (21.36), 1:1 Peeters (36.28), 2:1 Halbert (39.21), 2:2 Jensen Aabo (44.45), 2:3 Bischofberger (46.44)
Audience: 2.800
Pioneers Vorarlberg - Graz 99ers 1:3
Goals: 0:1 Engelhart (10.29), 0:2 Wemmenborn (17.52), 0:3 Bouramman (31.32), 1:3 Pastujov (38.32)
Audience: 1.411
| SP | G | U | V | TV | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. EC Klagenfurt | 35 | 23 | 0 | 12 | 123:79 | 71 |
| 2. EC Salzburg | 35 | 24 | 0 | 11 | 105:82 | 70 |
| 3. Fehervar | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 121:104 | 67 |
| 4. Linz | 35 | 19 | 0 | 16 | 116:87 | 59 |
| 5. HCB South Tyrol | 36 | 21 | 0 | 15 | 100:93 | 59 |
| 6. HC Innsbruck | 35 | 19 | 0 | 16 | 101:98 | 57 |
| 7. EC Villach | 35 | 19 | 0 | 16 | 122:106 | 56 |
| 8. HC Pustertal | 35 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 106:98 | 55 |
| 9. Olimpija Ljubljana | 35 | 16 | 0 | 19 | 106:112 | 47 |
| 10. Vorarlberg | 36 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 113:119 | 46 |
| 11. Vienna Capitals | 35 | 13 | 0 | 22 | 89:132 | 37 |
| 12. Asiago Hockey | 35 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 88:136 | 33 |
| 13. Graz99ers | 35 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 70:114 | 30 |
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