Bolzano celebrates a curious triumph. © Vanna Antonello

67 shots to happiness: A crazy Bolzano victory

One thing is clear: HC Bozen will certainly not be lacking in excitement this season. The Foxes kept their fans on tenterhooks for a long time on Friday – and then let them cheer loudly at the end.

16 January 2026

From the Sparkasse Arena

If you ask the helpful tool ChatGPT how many shots an ice hockey team typically fires in a match, the AI ​​quickly spits out a clear number: Between 25 and 35 are normal, and in a dominant game, it can easily be 35 to 45. But 67? That's beyond belief! And yet, HC Bern pulled off this bizarre feat against Ferencvárosi TC on Friday.

Why did the more than 3.000 Bolzano fans in the Sparkasse Arena have to sweat it out until the very end? Because the HCB stars only managed to convert three (!) of their 67 shots on goal, ultimately winning by the skin of their teeth with a narrow 3-2 victory. It wasn't until Brad McClure's goal in the 57th minute that the red-and-whites finally secured the win. Incidentally, their Hungarian opponents had 23 shots on goal in this match.

Yes, it was a crazy match that the fans at the Sparkasse Arena witnessed. After a solid opening period and a 2-1 lead for Bolzano, the Ferencvárosi goal suddenly became an impenetrable fortress. It's been a long time since Cole Schneider & Co. have dominated an opponent as much as they did in the second period. At times, the Foxes played five-on-five as if they were on a two-man advantage. But: 26-4 shots on goal, 0 goals.

Ferencvárosi goalie Bence Balizs often gave the Bolzano cracks a run for their money. © Vanna Antonello

In the final period, the Bolzano forwards unleashed a staggering 28 shots, and fortunately for the Red and Whites, one of the last – fired by McClure – found the back of the net for a 3-2 lead. Otherwise, things could have gotten really uncomfortable. One person, however, would have been delighted: Ferencvárosi goalie Bence Balizs made an incredible 64 saves and will likely remember this evening for a long time. An evening in which HCB had to sweat it out until the very last second, but ultimately took home three points.

HCB's next match is already on Sunday – a classic against Salzburg. The Foxes will be visiting the city of Mozart at 4:30 pm. HC Pustertal, who narrowly prevailed against Linz on Friday, Meanwhile, they face Ferencvárosi at home.

HC Bozen – Ferencvárosi TC 3-2

HSBC: Harvey (Gamper); Samuelsson-Valentine, Gildon-Cairns, Miglioranzi-DiPerna; Frank-Misley-Brunner, Pollock-Gersich-Gazley, Schneider-Bradley-McClure, Frigo-Mantenuto-DiGiacinto
Coach: Shedden

FTC: Balizs (Nagy); Bengtsson-Lindgren, Horvath-Luke Green, Hudec-Hadobas; Shaw-Kestila-Laskawy, Gordon Green-Coulter-Antonen, Sofron-Molnar-Tammela, Mihalik-Mattyasovszki-Galajda, Toth
Coach: Saarikoski

Gates: 1:0 Matt Bradley (9.13), 2:0 Brett Pollock (13.43), 2:1 Jussi Tammela (15.55), 2:2 Joose Antonen (44.26), 3:2 Brad McClure (56.01)

Viewers: 3.290

The other games

HC Pustertal – Black Wings Linz 3:1 (Click here for the article)
Goals: 0:1 St-Amant (1.05), 1:1 Lobis (23.39), 2:1 Lipon (36.17), 3:1 Purdeller (59.31)
Audience: 2.578

Klagenfurter AC – AV Fehérvár 3:2 aet
Goals: 1:0 Petersen (16.49), 2:0 Simovic (17.22), 2:1 Messner (21.12), 2:2 Bartalis (23.46), 3:2 Mursak (62.58)
Audience: 4.005

Villacher SV – Red Bull Salzburg 2:5
Goals: 0:1 Nissner (5.08), 0:2 Bourke (9.04), 0:3 St. Denis (13.43), 1:3 Rebernig (33.00), 2:3 Hughes (44.20), 2:4 Coe (52.31), 2:5 Nissner (58.59)
Audience: 3.324

HC Innsbruck – Graz 99ers 3:2
Goals: 1:0 Kudla (27.23), 1:1 Roy (35.40), 1:2 Feldner (36.26), 2:2 Rappold (53.20), 3:2 Benker (55.52)
Audience: 1.800

Pioneers Vorarlberg – Vienna Capitals 4:0
Goals: 1:0 Kernberger (3.15), 2:0 Macierzynski (13.54), 3:0 Korecky (17.58), 4:0 Maier (57.53)
Audience: 1.681