Videos
Eddie Pasquale & Co. celebrated an incredible victory that secured their place in the semi-finals. © I. Foppa / HC Pustertal
106-minute thriller: Pusterer Märchen is perfect
What an evening, what an incredible story: On Tuesday, the phenomenal HC Falkensteiner Pustertal managed to send the four-time reigning champions Red Bull Salzburg packing after a truly dramatic game. Bring on the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL) semifinals!
March 18, 2026
From the Intercable Arena
From:
Leo Holzknecht
First things first: Aside from the fantastic 2-1 overtime victory, those fans who passed through the turnstiles of the Intercable Arena that evening will be heading home with an adrenaline rush. Firstly, because for over 106 minutes they were treated to top-class ice hockey with speed, physicality, beautiful combinations, and drama. Secondly, because the Wolves whipped the Bruneck arena into a frenzy like never before this season.
The Black and Yellows' time-honored virtues were responsible for this victory. Once again, they refused to be defeated by a deficit. Once again, they displayed tremendous heart and passion. And once again, they demonstrated to the Bulls throughout the entire match what unity and team spirit truly mean. But these weren't the only parallels compared to the first three games.
The superlatives are not enough
When the Wolves came under pressure, which is inevitable against such a star-studded team, Eddie Pasquale was the usual rock in defense. With stoic calm, he fended off Salzburg's attempts – including two breakaways by Mario Huber and Troy Bourke. At the same time, the outstanding Tommy Purdeller and his teammates repeatedly managed to break through the opposing defense. From the second period onward, they created a clear advantage in scoring opportunities. David Kickert, who replaced Atte Tolvanen in goal, prevented (at least initially) a worse outcome for Salzburg – and thus also an early end to their season.
Ultimately, as fate would have it, the game went into extra time. Actually, three extra periods! During these periods, the 3100 fans were already on the edge of their seats, ready to celebrate the goals from Austin Osmanski, Austin Rueschhoff, and Cole Bardreau. However, the 2-1 goal seemed cursed, as the post played a starring role against both Nick Saracino and JC Lipon. But in the 106th minute, the spell was finally broken when none other than captain Raphael Andergassen sparked unbridled jubilation and secured one of the greatest triumphs in the club's history.
The Wolves now need to regroup and wait for the other series to conclude. Their semifinal opponent is still unknown. Meanwhile, HC Bolzano suffered a defeat. crushing 0:4 defeat at Olimpija Ljubljana, which meant a 1:3 defeat in the series.
The highlights
| Puster Valley with problems | The home team got off to a good start, but Auer missed a chance to take the lead with an open net. However, before the end of the first period, Schneider's beautiful play gave them the lead. |
| The problems are gone | As always in this series, Pustertal is the better team in the second period. However, Zanatta, left completely unmarked in front of the net, misses the deserved equalizer from close range, as do Mantinger (while shorthanded) and Lobis. |
| Overdue 1:1 | After Pasquale makes a save on a Huber breakaway, the ball hits the back of the Salzburg net. Zanatta tries his luck from the blue line, Purdeller deflects it, and the fans go wild. |
| Luck is lacking | The chances are piling up, but the 2:1 goal just won't come: Kickert is victorious against DiTomaso and Purdeller, and two minutes before the end, the post comes to his aid when Almquist shoots from distance. |
| Incredible drama | The Wolves squandered countless chances to reach the semifinals in overtime. Saracino and Lipon, for example, both hit the post. Andergassen fared better, slotting a puck off the boards into the empty net. |
HC Pustertal – Red Bull Salzburg 2:1 aet
HCP: Pasquale (Rabanser); Lauridsen-DiTomaso, Blum-Almquist, Glira-Osmanski, Zanatta; Bowlby-Ticar-Purdeller, Saracino-Bardreau-Rueschhoff, Lobis-Frycklund-Lipon, Mantinger-Andergassen-Deluca.Trainer: Jasper
RBS: Kickert (Tolvanen); Robertson-Corcoran, Nienhuis-Krygier, Stephens-Lewington, Rebernig; Bourke-Nissner-Schneider, Michael Raffl-St. Denis-Thaler, Thomas Raffl-Baltram-Huber, Kraus-Auer-Coe, Schreier.
coach: nurseries
Gates: 0:1 Schneider (17.29), 1:1 Purdeller (36.42), 2:1 Andergassen (105.38)
Viewers: 3104
Final standings in the series: 4:0
ICE Hockey League:
AV Fehervar – Klagenfurter AC 2:1Goals: 0:1 Witting (4.48), 1:1 Mihaly (24.43), 2:1 Erdely (28.05)
Audience: 3193
Score in the series: 1:1
Villacher SV – Graz 99ers 2:6
Goals: 0:1 Haudum (4.36), 0:2 Collins (6.14), 0:3 Swaney (6.25), 0:4 Conley (7.45), 0:5 Kotkansalo (12.19), 0:6 Conley (15.18), 1:6 Helewka (28.17), 2:6 Budgell (39.26)
Audience: 3287
Final score in the series: 0:4
Olimpija Ljubljana – HC Bozen 4:0
Goal: 1:0 Quince (21.09), 2:0 Drozg (36.14), 3:0 Kapel (39.16), 4:0 Pance (56.11)
Audience: 4005
Status in the series: 3:1
Edit Profile
You have to by registering.to use the comment function.
Comments (0)