Colin Furlong had his hands full. © Max Pattis

Furlong holds, power play stands out: Ritten advances against Wipptal

The first battle of this exciting semi-final in the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) has been fought: In front of their home crowd, the Rittner Buam put the strong Wipptal Broncos in their place in a thriller on Tuesday evening. However, the impression is that it could be a long series.

March 19, 2024

From the Ritten Arena

The local ice hockey fans enjoyed the first, eagerly awaited semi-final between the regular round winner Ritten and the surprise team Wipptal. Why the two teams marched into the semi-finals almost without any problems became clear in the Ritten Arena. They acted with speed, hardness and an impressive unity. Ultimately, the team that acted more cleverly in the crucial moments prevailed. And that was the Buam, who won 4:2.

From the first second, Julian Kostner & Co. didn't give the guests any time to breathe. They defended themselves as best they could, but had to accept the first goal in the 6th minute: Markus Spinell dizzyed Alessio Niccolai and was successful with a well-placed shot. James Livingston then had the score 1-1 on a solo effort, but the Canadian found his match in goalkeeper Colin Furlong. Rittner life insurance was to be the focus of attention numerous times that evening.

Broncos strike back

The Broncos didn't give in, kept the game even, but had to accept the second goal just 19 seconds after the restart. Ethan Szypula took the measure in the power play and sent his own fans into ecstasy with a pinpoint shot into the top corner. What followed was a brutal reaction from the Wild Horses: First, Connor Sanvido hit the crossbar before Davide Conci scored the well-deserved goal. Furlong couldn't do anything against the attempt from the slot.

Adam Giacomuzzi is lurking in front of Jakob Rabanser. © Max Pattis

Things went up and down, there were opportunities on both sides. Spinell initially failed because of the crossbar, but in return the equalizer came: Alex Zecchetto fought for the puck on the boards, saw the free-standing Justin Maylan, whose shot rolled off the crossbar behind the goal line. The white-blue team then came close to taking the lead for the first time, but Furlong surpassed himself - including an incredible stick save.

Sjöquist's team lost some of the offensive spirit of the middle section in the final third and made life difficult for themselves. Adam Capannelli received a stupid penalty in the attacking zone, which had fatal consequences: The Wild Horses were unable to clear the ball when they were outnumbered, Adam Lobis was there and pushed a stray puck over the line. Only 78 seconds later, Jakob Prast launched the advanced Michael Lang, who remained ice cold alone in front of Rabanser. This meant the game was decided and the first Buam victory was secured. The series now moves to Vipiteno, where the wild horses want to take revenge on Thursday at 20 p.m.

Rittner Buam – Wipptal Broncos 4:2

RIT: Furlong (Platter); Amorosa-Insam, Lang-Hjorth, Marzolini-Ginnetti, Valentini-Tauferer; Julian Kostner-Simon Kostner-Spinell, Fink-Szypula-Coatta, Giacomuzzi-Lobis-Prast, Quinz-Graf-Uffelmann.
coach: Tuomie

WSV: Rabanser (bracket); Hackhofer-Gschnitzer, Niccolai-Topatigh, Soraruf-Messner, Brunner; Capannelli-Cianfrone-Livingston, Conci-Gschliesser-Sanvido, Zandegiacomo-Maylan-Zecchetto, Kerschbaumer-Planatscher-Covelli.
coach: Sjoquist

Gates: 1:0 Spinel (5.58), 2:0 Szypula (20.19), 2:1 Conci (27.27), 2:2 Maylan (28.51), 3:2 Lobis (52.07), 4:2 Lang (53.25)

Viewers: 583

Status in the series: 1:0

Alps Hockey League, Game 1:

SG Cortina – Red Bull Juniors 2:3 aet
Goals: 0:1 Myllymaa (10.36), 0:2 Myllymaa (24.33), 1:2 Traversa (50.46), 2:2 Sanna (59.56), 2:3 Ramoser (97.17)
Audience: 550
Score in the series: 0:1