Things are getting hot between the Wipptal Broncos and the Rittner Buam. © Oskar Brunner

“That’s not the ice hockey we want to play”

The fifth game of the semi-final series in the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) between the Rittner Buam and the Wipptal Broncos turned into a penalty festival on Thursday. The consequence was two game suspensions and fines for both coaches. Egon Gschnitzer, sports director of the wild horses, has a clear opinion on what happened.

March 29, 2024

From: leo

“We have to play harder,” Ritten coach Tray Tuomie said before the fourth game of the best-of-seven series. His men put this statement into action. If the new approach in Vipiteno was not yet crowned with success, Simon Kostner & Co. won 6:3 on Thursday and thus moved the series to Vipiteno again. It's now 3:2 for the Broncos. “The tough pace in the last two games certainly surprised us,” emphasizes Egon Gschnitzer. “On Thursday we allowed ourselves to be provoked too much. That’s not the hockey we want to play.”

In total, the referee team awarded 87 penalty minutes - 30 against the Buam, 57 against the Broncos. Ethan Szypula and Paul Eisendle were each sidelined for two games on Friday for a cross-check. Both coaches, Johan Sjöquist and Tray Tuomie, were fined 250 euros because, in the league's opinion, the teams played unsportsmanlikely.

Szypula foul enrages fans

“I don’t want to pass the buck to the referees, but they derailed the game. “They didn’t have the game under control right from the start,” says Gschnitzer. He denounces that the hidden fouls that ultimately caused the escalation were not called. “Szypula was suspended for two games, but didn’t even receive a minor penalty for his foul – unlike Eisendle. It's logical that the mood is heating up." After all: Connor Sanvido, who received a match penalty due to a cross-check, was not prosecuted by the DOPS and can play in the sixth game on Saturday.

The Broncos want to secure their place in the finals. © Oskar Brunner

Gschnitzer knows about the quality of the opponent and says: “Ritten is still the favorite. They have a confident team that can win every game. The Buam always start strong, but decrease slightly as the game progresses. That's our advantage.” In fact, it has always been the case that Tray Tuomie's team scored first before the Wild Horses stepped up a gear and made up the deficit three times.

Either way, the Broncos can already look back on a successful season. “Reaching the playoffs was a huge success for us. Nobody would have thought that we would end the series against Zell am See without a defeat,” emphasizes Gschnitzer. Everything that comes now is an encore. Given the great euphoria that prevails in the Wipptal, Gschnitzer finds it a shame that the new Weihenstephan Arena can only accommodate around 650 fans. “On the one hand, we are happy to have the temporary solution. On the other hand, there would be 2000 spectators in a game like this.”

Alps Hockey League, Game 6:

Saturday March 30rd:

Wipptal Broncos – Rittner Buam (18 p.m.)
Score in the series: 3:2

Red Bull Juniors – SG Cortina (19.15 p.m.)
Score in the series: 2:3