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Jacob Smith in the HCP goal keeps perspective. © F. Pessentheiner
Merciless red jackets make the wolves desperate
Who would have thought a month and a half ago that HC Pustertal could stand up to the superior regular season winners KAC to such an extent? Probably no one. And yet the third defeat in as many semi-final games is bitter. On Sunday, Kasper Vuorinen's team only needed a little to steal a victory from Klagenfurt.
March 24, 2024
From:
Leo Holzknecht
The fact remains: EC KAC remains an unsolvable puzzle for HC Pustertal in the playoffs. The number 1 title favorite also emerged victorious in the third game of the series. In the Heidi-Horten-Arena the red jackets had the upper hand 3-1. If the Wolves had shown greater cleverness in the crucial moments, the best-of-seven series could now be 1:2 instead of 0:3. As it is, the black and yellow will fight against the impending end of the season on Tuesday in the Intercable Arena (19.45 p.m.) in Bruneck.
They knew that the Wolves had a chance against the record champions second game of the series demonstrated. After a horror start, Matthias Mantinger & Co. seamlessly continued this performance on Sunday and were sometimes even the better team. After Alex Petan scored the longed-for (and well-deserved) equalizer midway through the third period, a lapse in concentration ruined all chances of a win. In the style of a top team, the KAC punished every mistake and didn't let themselves be taken away from their bread.
Marcel Witting and Matthias Mantinger in a duel. © EC-KAC/Pessentheiner
Previously, the roles of the main actors belonged to the two goalies: Jacob Smith and Sebastian Dahm. While the former repeatedly pulled his opponent's teeth with his reflexes, the Dane prevented worse things from happening several times with his stoic, controlled style. Among other things, Dahm destroyed a solo effort by the pale Jason Akeson. Smith made a monstrous save against Johannes Bischofberger before the 1-1 draw. One thing is certain: The fans can expect an exciting, even game on Tuesday in which the details will once again make the difference. Meanwhile, HC Bozen lost 3-4 at Red Bull Salzburg.
The highlights
| Formerly Shock | The KAC gets stuck in the power play, Johannes Bischofberger shoots, Smith can't control the rebound, so Ganahl has the empty goal in front of him. |
| Herburger like a goalie | After an improvised setup, the puck somehow gets to Jason Akeson, who crosses it for David Morley, who is ready to take a shot. Raphael Herburger prevents the equalizer like a soccer goalkeeper. |
| Dahm, the sorcerer | Superstar Jason Akeson runs alone towards Sebastian Dahm, wants to beat the Danish goalie with a low shot, but fails because of his knee pads. |
| Petan's banger | First, Johannes Bischofberger misses an almost certain goal, before Alex Petan succeeds with a direct shot at the other end. The pass came from Joel Messner. |
| How bitter is that? | The Wolves have just equalized, the momentum seems to be on their side - and then this. Fraser slams the puck into the top corner from an acute angle. |
| Die Entscheidung | The HCP completely loses its assignment in its own zone, Nick Petersen releases Thomas Vallant, who is lurking on the blue line, who puts a slap shot into the net to make it 3-1. |
EC KAC – HC Pustertal 3:1
KAC: Dahm (Vorauer); Unterweger-Jensen, Strong-Maier, Vallant-Preiml, Klassek; Bischofberger-Hundredlb-Fraser, Ganahl-Mursak-Petersen, Haudum-Herburger-Kraus, Schwinger-van Ee-Witting, Obersteiner.coach: Furey
HCP: Smith (Bernard); Stanton-Messner, Kasastul-Ege, Glira-Atwal, Althuber; Hannoun-Frycklund-Petan, Morley-Schofield-Akeson, Deluca-Sill-Mantinger, Catenacci-Andergassen-Hasler, Öhler.
coach: Mountainous
Gates: 1:0 Ganahl (2.43), 1:1 Petan (48.05), 2:1 Fraser (50.13), 3:1 Vallant (53.49)
Viewers: 4402
Status in the series: 3:0
ICE Hockey League, Game 3:
Red Bull Salzburg – HC Bozen 4:3 (click here for the report)Goals: 0:1 Brunner (2.07), 0:2 DiGiacinto (8.09), 0:3 McClure (13.19), 1:3 Nissner (26.47), 2:3 Huber (28.56), 3:3 Bourke (31.07), 4:3 Rymsha (33.27)
Audience: 3400
Score in the series: 2:1
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