Scott Valentine (left) achieved a first in the history of HC Bozen. © Vanna Antonello

This has never happened before at HC Bozen.

HCB Südtirol Alperia concluded the ice hockey year on Tuesday with a crystal-clear victory that was by no means memorable – nevertheless, all those involved will remember something unforgettable from this evening: an absolute novelty in the captaincy election, a dream debut and a special goal.

30 December 2025

From the Sparkasse Arena in Bolzano

HC Bozen defeated the struggling Vorarlberg Pioneers 5-0 on Tuesday evening. With their third consecutive victory, the Foxes overtook their arch-rivals Pustertal for fourth place in the standings – and this just four days before the next big derby.

Bolzano needed just one third, or rather twelve minutes, to put five goals past their opponents and secure their third clear victory against Vorarlberg (the previous encounters ended 6-0 and 7-1). In their fourth win in five games under new coach Doug Shedden, the game on the ice was by no means a spectacle – and yet the nearly 3.000 spectators will remember this match for a long time.

For the first time, a foreign captain

For on this evening, a tradition was broken: Since HC Bozen was founded back in 1933, an Italian player had always worn the "C" on his chest – until December 30, 2025, when the injured Daniel Frank was replaced as captain by veteran Scott Valentine. Shedden gave the charismatic Canadian the nod over the regular assistant captain, Luca Frigo. Even former Bozen captains Martin Pavlu and Alexander Egger, sitting in the stands, were quite astonished.

For Luca Frigo But in the end, it was a day of celebration nonetheless, as the 32-year-old from Piedmont, who has been playing in Bolzano for nine years, scored his 100th goal in the club's white and red colors. Frigo was subsequently named Man of the Match after the home victory – and celebrated accordingly by the fans.

Gibson's perfect debut

Christopher Gibson would have deserved this award as well. The new backup goalie played his first game for Bolzano and also his first competitive game in exactly 263 days. The 33-year-old Finn, with NHL experience, last played in April for Kassel in the second German league. Gibson crowned his debut with a shutout. Although he only had to stop 17 shots, he did so with phenomenal reflexes.

HC Bozen has certainly warmed up for the upcoming challenges – and they are truly demanding. On New Year's Day, the Foxes travel to league leaders Klagenfurt, followed by the derby in Bruneck on January 3rd. Meanwhile, the Puster Valley team, who have a bye this Tuesday, can boost their confidence in their opening game of the year against Vorarlberg and thus prepare for their already sold-out home game against HCB. Daniel Frank should also be fit again in time for the derby – thus restoring the captaincy hierarchy in Bozen.

HCB Südtirol Alperia – Pioneers Vorarlberg 5:0

HSBC: Gibson (Harvey); Samuelsson-Valentine, Gildon-Seed, Miglioranzi-DiPerna, Larcher; DiGiacinto-Gersich-Gazley, Schneider-Pollock-McClure, Frigo-Mantenuto-Bradley, Brunner-Misley-Marchetti.
Coach: Shedden

Vorarlberg: Caffi (Madlener); Schnetzer-Roehl, Reini-Kernberger, Korecky-Wempe, Bukarts-Dornbach-Adams, Maier-Gallant-Florchuk, Macierzynski-Tschofen-Metzler, Woborsky-Lebeda-Summer.
Coach: Nygard

Gates: 1-0 Max Gildon (21.59), 2-0 Luca Frigo (26.40), 3-0 Brad McClure (28.26), 4-0 Dustin Gazley (30.54), 5-0 Dustin Gazley (33.30)

Viewers: 2.901

The other results from Tuesday:

Olimpija Ljubljana – Klagenfurter AC 3:2
Goals: 0:1 Dobrovolny (8.41), 1:1 Boychuk (26.33), 1:2 Herburger (28.11), 2:2 Boychuk (30.13), 3:2 Petan (31.54)
Audience: 3.921

Villacher SV – Graz 99ers 1:4
Goals: 0:1 Vela (3.30), 0:2 Koch (6.17), 1:2 Ritchie (30.15), 1:3 Huber (53.06), 1:4 Roy (56.28)
Audience: 3.465

Black Wings Linz – Fehervar AV 7:0
Goals: 1:0 St-Amant (7.46), 2:0 Barron (17.04), 3:0 Barron (22.43), 4:0 Pusnik (24.41), 5:0 Oschgan (33.02), 6:0 Knott (51.19), 7:0 Oschgan (54.35)
Audience: 4.205

HC Innsbruck – RB Salzburg 0:4
Goals: 0:1 Coe (13:09), 0:2 Nissner (24:08), 0:3 Hochkofler (44:11), 0:4 Huber (54:45)
Audience: 2.000

Ferencvaros – Vienna Capitals 2:3 aet
Goals: 0:1 Kosmachuk (32.13), 1:1 Shaw (32.47), 2:1 Coulter (37.11), 2:2 Vey (56.19), 2:3 Cole Hults (63.27)
Audience: 1.818