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Rick Schofield & Co. return home empty-handed. © Soos Attila
The tired wolf appearance in Fehervar's impregnable fortress
HC Pustertal failed to present for the first time in the quarter-final series of the ICE Hockey League against Fehervar. The Wolves had to let the hosts go first on Monday in Hungary once again - especially because there was a lot of things wrong on defense.
March 11, 2024
From:
Leo Holzknecht
Since the Wolves joined the ICE, they have played eleven games in Fehervar. The meager balance: ten defeats and only one win. On Monday evening, the black and yellow were unable to improve on this and lost 3:5. This means that Rick Schofield & Co. can no longer afford any slip-ups in the best-of-seven series. In 48 hours it will be win or fly in the Intercable Arena.
Before the game there was great interest in how coach Kasper Vuorinen would deal with Dan Catenacci, who was responsible for the last defeat in Hungary and was making his comeback after his suspension. The Finn opted for a supporting role on the fourth line. The goal was once again guarded by Jacob Smith, who made some strong saves but also made it 0-2 with a daring outing. But the reason for the defeat was different: unlucky Wyatt Ege & Co. gave their opponents significantly more freedom compared to the last two games they won. Time and again the Hungarians appeared unchallenged in front of Smith. The necessary toughness in front of their own goal, the final consequence that is needed in the playoffs, was missing.
The Wolves fans who traveled with us in Fehervar.
The 0:1 15 seconds before the end of the first third proved to be groundbreaking. Up until this point, the Wolves had slight field advantages. The Wolves fans who had traveled with us saw the second key moment midway through the game when Fehervar hit the mark twice within 54 seconds. Afterwards, the South Tyroleans simply didn't have the strength to make up for this deficit - even if they got to 3:5. The series now moves back to Bruneck, where Fehervar has the first match puck. HCB Südtirol Alperia, on the other hand, made it to the semi-finals thanks to a 2-1 win against Villach.
The highlights
| Late shock | The Wolves had more of the game in the opening period, but fell behind 15 seconds before the siren: After a rebound, Wyatt Ege tried to clear, but instead he hit Istvan Bartalis' knee pads and saw the puck roll into the goal. |
| Conceded goal and answer | A slapstick performance makes it 2-0. Smith tries to play the hard rubber along the plexiglass, but is taken off his feet by the sliding Ege, leaving Tim McGauley with the empty goal in front of him. A little later, Joel Messner benefits from a buck from goalie Olivier Roy. |
| Fatal double whammy | Fehervar increased to 54:4 within 1 seconds. First Bartalis puts a shot in the corner, then Messner and Ryan Stanton can't get the puck out of the danger zone. Balint Magosi thanks him and makes it 4-1. |
| That's it | In the power play, Smith's view is cleverly blocked, McGauley takes his measure and gives the Italian-Canadian the advantage with a precise shot at the near post. On the other hand, David Morley is still making cosmetic results after two wonderful Akeson assists. |
AV Fehervar – HC Pustertal 5:3
OASI: Roy (Horvath); Fournier-Campbell, Stipsicz-Nilsson, Robertson-Phillips, Roland Kiss-Csongor Ambrus; Magosi-Hari-Kuralt, Leavens-McGauley-Laberge, Atkinson-Bartalis-Mihaly, Gergö Ambrus-Nemeth-Terbocs.coach: David Kiss
HCP: Smith (Bernard); Stanton-Messner, Kasastul-Ege, Glira-Atwal, Althuber; Morley-Schofield-Akeson, Andergassen-Frycklund-Petan, Deluca-Sill-Mantinger, Catenacci-Berger-Hasler.
coach: Mountainous
Gates: 1:0 Stipsicz (19.45), 2:0 McGauley (21.13), 2:1 Messner (24.33), 3:1 Bartalis (32.10), 4:1 Magosi (33.04), 5:1 McGauley (49.15), 5: 2 Morley (52.41), 5-3 Morley (57.12)
Viewers: 2576
Status in the series: 3:2
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