Bozen and Villach fought a fierce battle. © Vanna Antonello

An old acquaintance makes Bozen sweat

HC Bozen has returned from the international break with a win. However, the triumph in the Sparkasse Arena was hard work - especially because an old acquaintance made life difficult for the Foxes.

13 November 2024

From the Sparkasse Arena

There are many characteristics that make a top team. But one in particular: the ability to win tricky, complicated, even dirty games. HC Bozen has proven time and again this season that it can do this. Like on Wednesday evening, when the Foxes beat rebellious Villach 4-2 very late in the Sparkasse Arena and regained sole leadership of the table.

The Foxes had to sweat for a long time against last year's quarter-final opponent. The reason for this: Villach coach Tray Tuomie had prepared his team perfectly for the white and reds. Tray Tuomie? Yes, the coach who was behind the Rittner Buam bench last season and who left a mark on himself there. The American with a German passport led the cracks from the high plateau to the double, i.e. the AlpsHL and Italian championship titles.

Tray Tuomie, master coach of the Rittner Buam and current VSV coach. © Max Pattis

In the summer, Tuomie took a career step and became Villach's coach. His team impressed on Wednesday with straightforward offensive play, passionate forechecking and a solid defense, in which the 40-year-old goalie JP Lamoureux was a rock in the surf. So the match was on a knife edge, 2:2, until a few seconds before the final whistle.

The Bozen team invested a lot, but initially got little out of it. And they were lucky when goalie Sam Harvey (and the post three times) came to their rescue. In the end, it was individual class that decided the outcome: Dustin Gazley and Adam Helewka played Cristiano DiGiacinto wonderfully free just seconds before the end and Bozen's new crowd favorite rocked the arena filled with almost 3.000 fans. Mike Halmo, who played his 300th match in the HCB jersey on Wednesday and was celebrated by the fans, was also happy.

While Bozen (also thanks to the Fehervar defeat) is once again alone in first place, Pustertal suffered a bitter defeat in Vorarlberg. The Foxes will face Innsbruck away on Friday, while Pustertal will face Villach at the same time.

HC Bozen – Villacher SV 4:2

HSBC: Harvey (Vallini); Valentine Seed, Spornberger-Bourque, Hults-Di Perna; Marchetti-Helewka-Gazley, Salinitri-Christoffer-Bradley, Halmo-McClure-DiGiacinto, Brunner-Frigo-Mantenuto, Frank
Coach: Hanlon

VSV: Lamoureux (Moser); Wall-Holway, Wetzl-MacPherson, Lindner-Vallant, Raspotnig-Wieltschnig; Richter-Rauchenwald-Lanzinger, Rebernig-Hancock-Hughes, Van Nes-Pearson-Coatta, Scherbak-Maxa-Wallenta
Coach: Tuomie

Gates: 0:1 Maximilian Rebernig (11.30), 1:1 Anthony Salinitri (24.40), 2:1 Adam Helewka (27.05), 2:2 Nikita Scherbak (43.19), 3:2 Cristiano DiGiacinto (59.31), 4:2 Luca Frigo (59.57)

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Goals: 1:0 Gilmour (1.33), 2:0 Gilmour (11.08), 2:1 Petan (12.49), 3:1 Tschofen (45.56), 4:1 Keefer (46.58), 4:2 Findlay (48.38), 4:3 Lacroix (52.18), 5:3 Maier (53.52), 5:4 Petan (57.43)
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