He played the game of his life: Matt Wilkins. © HCI / PAPA Productions / Georgios Papaconstantis

The game of his life: A former Val Gardena player annoys Bolzano

A minor slip-up against the bottom-of-the-table team: HCB Südtirol Alperia hadn't planned for that on Wednesday. An old acquaintance was responsible for it happening.

21 January 2026

From: det

The good news first: HC Bolzano celebrated a victory against league bottom-dwellers Innsbruck on Wednesday. The bad news: The Foxes had to concede a point in the Tyrolean derby. In the end, the players from the South Tyrolean capital prevailed against their North Tyrolean neighbors 5-4 in overtime.

While Bolzano's joy after the victory was muted, one man will likely never forget this match. Matt Wilkins scored all four of Innsbruck's goals that evening. Whether in the thick of the action, on the power play, or from the most impossible angle – the 34-year-old Canadian scored at will. But wait a minute! Matt Wilkins? That name rings a bell, doesn't it? Exactly! Between 2019 and 2021, the man from British Columbia played for HC Gröden in the Alps Hockey League.

A picture from the old days: Matt Wilkins in the HC Gröden jersey. © Studio Kostner

Back then, Wilkins dominated the league, racking up an incredible 162 points in 85 games. In the 2019/20 season, he became the league's top scorer with 89 points. After stints in the second Swiss league, Slovakia, and France, Wilkins finally landed in Innsbruck last summer, where he recently experienced an unforgettable match against HC Bolzano.

Despite the overtime victory, the worries are mounting at HC Bolzano. The Foxes are simply conceding too many goals: 21 in their last five games, far too many for a top team. It's fortunate, then, that several players on offense are in outstanding form. Leading the charge is Brad McClure, who scored his 24th and 25th goals of the season on Wednesday – thus also saving captain Daniel Frank's milestone. The Merano native played his 700th game for HCB, placing him fourth on Bolzano's all-time appearance list, behind Martin Pavlu, Alexander Egger, and Anton Bernard.

The team will meet Innsbruck again on Friday, when the Sharks will be guests at the Sparkasse Arena. Meanwhile, HC Pustertal celebrated a 3-2 victory over league leaders Klagenfurt on Wednesday.

HC Innsbruck – HC Bozen 4:5 aet

HCI: Vernon (Brandner); Kudla-Frimmel, Stöffler-Moberg, Lattner-Steffler, Kerber-Matt; Witting-Corbeil-Benker, Wilkins-Lajeunesse-Rappold, Klinger-Sproule-Coatta, Bär-Mader-Klassek
Coach: Kinasewich

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

Gates: 1:0 Mathew Wilkins (5.53), 1:1 Philip Samuelsson (13.15), 1:2 Matteo Gennaro (20.28), 1:3 Brad McClure (35.19), 2:3 Mathew Wilkins (40.44), 3:3 Mathew Wilkins (45.30), 3:4 Daniel Mantenuto (46.27), 4:4 Mathew Wilkins (54.58), 4:5 Brad McClure (63.39)

Viewers: 1.800

ICE Hockey League

HC Pustertal – Klagenfurter AC 3:2 (click here for the report)
Goals: 1-0 Zanatta (16.57), 1-1 From (26.17), 2-1 Mantinger (43.59), 2-2 Fraser (48.36), 3-2 Bowlby (56.53)
Audience: 2.527

FTC Telekom – Red Bull Salzburg 4:2
Goals: 0:1 Schneider (16.25), 1:1 Antonen (19.02), 2:1 Green (28.53), 3:1 Mihalik (39.08), 3:2 Thaler (46.00), 4:2 Antonen (59.59)
Audience: 1.505