Matthias Rindone is the man of the hour at HC Gröden.

Prominent mentor & plenty of talent: Val Gardena's man of the hour

HC Gröden is currently making quite a splash in the Alps Hockey League – and with it, their goalie Matthias Ridnone. Despite being only 21 years old, he can already look back on a remarkable career.

06 October 2025

The Alps Hockey League season may only be a few games old, but one team is already causing a stir. HC Gröden, a problem child last winter, is really shaking up the league. Victory over defending champions Zell am See and KHL leader Sisak The Ladins have caused some big surprises.

And these recent successes can largely be attributed to a specific figure. Matthias Rindone – goalkeeper for HC Val Gardena – is currently in outstanding shape and, according to the statistics, the league's best goalie. With a save percentage of 96,1 percent and an average of just 1,26 goals against per game, the 21-year-old from Bolzano leads the league's goaltending rankings.

Matthias Rindone has been a wall in the Gardena Gate so far. © Matthäus Kostner

"We have a top team this year, the team spirit is really good. And our defense has obviously helped me a lot in these games," Rindone said in an interview with SportNews. The young goalie's strong performances certainly don't come out of nowhere. It's no secret in the local ice hockey scene that Rindone, who works as a bank clerk in Laives, possesses considerable talent. The Bolzano native has already competed in two World Championships with Italy's youth national team, playing alongside his peers, including Tommy Purdeller, Fabian Gschliesser, and Alan Lobis (all of HC Pustertal).

Andy Bernard as Finland sponsor

Rindone has also already gained considerable international experience. From 2018 to 2022, the Bolzano native lived in Finland, where he played goal for the youth teams of Ässät Pori. South Tyrolean cult goalie Andy Bernard played a major role in this. "Andy was under contract with Ässät at the time, and he helped me a lot to get to Finland. Through him, I got in touch with the club and was able to attend a trial. This opened up the opportunity for a transfer. Andy continued to support me tremendously afterward," says Rindone, who flew to the far north after high school and spent four years there.

Andy Bernard (left in both pictures) played an important role in Rindone's journey.

Curiously, Rindone faces his former mentor Andy Bernard today, as the Caldaro goalie is the number 1 at Val Gardena's league rival Merano. Nine days ago, the two goalies met in a league match, sharing a warm hug after the match. Rindone, who speaks fluent Finnish, says of his adventure in Scandinavia: "My time in Finland was very educational for me. Up there, there were basically only two things: school and ice hockey."

When the career was on the brink

However, the goalie faced a difficult time in 2022. "After a hip injury, I had to undergo surgery. I took a full year off, and the doctors said it wasn't certain whether I'd ever be able to play hockey again. Fortunately, the prognosis didn't come true: Today, I'm completely pain-free," Rindone said. This injury ended his adventure in Finland, and via the Innsbruck youth academy, the goalie finally found his way to HC Val Gardena in the summer of 2024, where he's now making a splash.

“My sister and I support each other.” Matthias Rindone

Ice hockey runs in the family, as Rindone's sister Emma, ​​two years younger than him, also chases the hard rubber puck. As a defenseman and forward, she's a fixture on the Eagles of Bolzano and the Italian national team. "We support each other. She often keeps her fingers crossed for me in the stands at my games, and I try to visit her at her games as often as possible," says the older brother, who now faces a special match with Val Gardena. On Thursday, the Ladin team will host the Wipptal Broncos. There, Matthias Rindone hopes to become a wizard again.

Alps Hockey League, the South Tyrolean games of the week

Tuesday, 20:00 p.m
Rittner Buam – HDD Jesenice
HC Asiago – Unterland Cavaliers

Thursday, 20:00 p.m
Wipptal Broncos – HC Val Gardena
Rittner Buam – KHL Sisak
SG Cortina – HC Merano (20:30 p.m.)

Saturday
Unterland Cavaliers – Bregenzerwald (19:00 PM)
HC Val Gardena – Red Bull Hockey Juniors (19:30 p.m.)
HC Meran – HDD Jesenice
SG Cortina – Rittner Buam (20:30 p.m.)

Italian Hockey League, the matches of the week

Saturday
HC Varese – Falcons Brixen (18:30 p.m.)
Feltre – HC Eppan (19:30 p.m.)
SV Kaltern – Pergine
Three Peaks Dolomites – Aosta
Valpellice – Valdifiemme (20:30 p.m.)
Fassa – Alleghe (Sunday, 16:00 PM)