The retired Julian Kostner was honored by Roberto Rampoldi and Alexander Eisath during the summer festival. © Rittner Buam SkyAlps

The Rittner Buam “want to win titles again”

On Saturday, the new helmet sponsor of the Rittner Buam SkyAlps was announced as part of the annual summer festival in the garden of the Hotel Bemelmans-Post. A short information day was also held at the same time, where President Roberto Rampoldi and Sports Director Alexander Eisath answered questions about the upcoming season.

July 21, 2025

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The atmosphere in the garden of the Hotel Bemelmans-Post in Klobenstein was once again extremely pleasant at the summer festival, as it was all about one of the most enjoyable things in life: ice hockey. Sponsors and patrons of the Buam were present, as were club officials and some players. They eagerly awaited the announcement of the new helmet sponsor.

This honor was ultimately bestowed upon Agrocenter Bozen. Prior to the ceremony, everyone present was also informed about the club's current situation. First, there was a brief review of the past season, followed by the goals and squad plans for the upcoming 2025/26 ice hockey season. Julian Kostner was also honored with jersey number 601. The Ritten native, who retired a year ago, is a member of the Rittner Buam SkyAlps "Club 500" and, with 601 appearances, is one of the club's record players.

Eisath hopeful

"We started in September 2024 by winning the Italian Supercup, lost the IHL Serie A final against Cortina, and advanced to the semifinals of the Alps Hockey League, where we were eliminated by Jesenice. We also reached the semifinals of the IIHF Continental Cup. The loss in the final of the Italian Championship was bitter; we weren't the weaker team there. We didn't actually play badly in the AlpsHL semifinals either, but we were still eliminated with a 0-4 sweep. Unfortunately, we also had some bad luck with injuries from March onwards. All in all, we are not dissatisfied with last season," said Sporting Director Alexander Eisath, looking back on the past season.

Rittner helmets over the years. © Rittner Buam SkyAlps

But that's already in the past, and President Roberto Rampoldi immediately informed everyone present about the goals for the new season: "Of course, we want to win titles again. We'll field a strong team in the championship again and want to make a comeback in the competitions."

Squad planning is always a particularly exciting topic ahead of the start of the championship season. Both the coach and assistant coach have been replaced at the Buam, and several players, particularly foreign talent, have left the club. Eisath briefly introduced the new signings: "Dave MacQueen is a very charismatic coach who brings a wealth of experience, both from youth and professional leagues. Mike Halmo is familiar to most people anyway. He will be an important link between coach and team; after all, he was a player himself last season. With his strength of character, he will also be a great asset to the U19s, where he serves as head coach."

“We are definitely ready for this championship and can hardly wait for it to finally start on September 20th.” Alexander Eisath

In addition, Eisath and Dan Tudin – who jointly oversee the team's fortunes as sporting directors – have brought four new players to the Ritten: Brandon Alderson, Patrick Madsen, Leonardo Felicetti, and Jake Crespi. "Madsen and Felicetti have already shown what they're capable of against us. Alderson, along with Diego Cuglietta, will be responsible for scoring points. Crespi is a defender who can read the game well and contribute to the team's success – he's our replacement for Eric Hjorth," says Eisath.

The core of the squad continues to be the local talent led by captain Simon Kostner: "They are the heart of our team. We have confirmed most of the players; some have already been announced, others are still to come. We are definitely ready for this championship and can hardly wait for it to finally get started on September 20th," Eisath concluded.