AHL: Wolves prey on wild horses

On Wednesday the focus is on the Rienz Stadium in Bruneck, where the HCP will host the Broncos at 20 p.m. On paper, the roles are clearly assigned: Sterzing has established itself in the top third of the table after a strong start to the season and was also able to win the most recent championship game against Cortina. The Fuggerstadters have the best defense in the league with only 18 goals conceded and currently also have the most successful power play game: Sterzing was able to convert 19 of 55 power play situations (34,5%) into a goal.

Val Pusteria However, they suffered their sixth defeat in their eleventh game of the season at the weekend. But tenth place does not do justice to the quality of the HCP squad. This has also been shown in the past few weeks, in which Armin Helfer and Co. recorded a slight upward trend. With their own fans behind them - even though they have been staying away more and more recently - the Wolves don't have to hide, especially since they always had the upper hand against Vipiteno in their own stadium. They also have a comfortable lead in historical comparison: they won 32 of the 51 duels with the Fuggerstadt team so far. The 52nd meeting between the two teams is likely to be a hot dance.

Ritten relies on its home strength

However, the Rittner Buam are going into the upcoming match with Cortina without any worries. The champions were able to win all five home games, and now the sixth victory should follow. The South Tyroleans won six of the seven direct encounters against Cortina last season. The Ampezzo team only won the semi-final opener. Ritten's striker Alex Frei has twelve goals this season after his brace against Val Gardena. Riley Brace has performed very well with the guests so far. The Canadian scored an impressive 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in twelve games, making him the league's top scorer.

Val Gardena has to go to Asiago

Ritten's pursuers also include runner-up Asiago, who have only lost two of their ten games so far. The situation is different for our next opponent Val Gardena, who recently lost out four times in a row. The special teams in particular are causing problems for the “Furie”: with just one goal from 53 power play situations (1,9%), they have by far the weakest power play. In addition, Val Gardena has already received three shorthanders and is also in last place in penalty killing. Last season, Asiago won both duels, although one went into extra time.

Neumarkt competes in the basement duel

In the basement duel, Neumarkt meets away at the KAC. While the red and white farm team came away empty-handed in the twelve games of the season so far, the penultimate South Tyroleans collected four points. In the AHL's premiere season, the two teams faced each other four times, with Neumarkt winning all duels. However, the games in Klagenfurt were hotly contested and were only decided by a difference of one goal. So the Wild Goose can't expect it to be a sure-fire success.

Wednesday's AHL games: Ljubljana - Jesenice (19.15 p.m.) KAC II - Neumarkt (19.30 p.m.) Pustertal - Vipiteno (20 p.m.) Ritten - Cortina (20 p.m.) Fassa - Bregenzerwald (20 p.m.) Asiago - Val Gardena (20 p.m.)

The table:

SN/Alexander Foppa

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AHL: Wolves prey on wild horses

The 12th round of the Alps Hockey League will take place on Wednesday. The focus is on the derby between Pustertal and Vipiteno. Ritten faces a former Serie A rival, while Neumarkt and Val Gardena have to play away.

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