Matthias Mantinger and HCP showed great heart. © I. Foppa / HC Pustertal

HC Pustertal: Wild comeback in Rosenheim

HC Falkensteiner Pustertal continued their preseason preparations on Wednesday with a friendly match against the Starbulls Rosenheim. The Wolves fought until the final second – and were ultimately rewarded for their fighting spirit.

September 02, 2026

From: leo

Jason Jaspers' team had made a good impression in the preseason so far. After a 3-4 loss in a penalty shootout against ERC Ingolstadt and two wins against HC Litvinov (3-1) and league rival Olimpija Ljubljana (4-1), Tommy Purdeller and his teammates wanted to continue their positive trend in Rosenheim. They succeeded, as the Black and Yellows turned a 2-3 deficit into a 4-3 victory in the final minutes.

In front of nearly 2800 spectators at the ROFA Stadium, the Starbulls got off to a better start. Luigi Calce beat HCP goaltender Colin Furlong for the first time in the tenth minute. Further goals didn't come until the second period – but then within a very short time. Just 57 seconds after the restart, newcomer Gerry Fitzgerald tied the game at 1-1. Then, only 70 seconds later, Johannes Achatz put Rosenheim back in the lead.

Power play makes the difference

A hectic period ensued, with both teams failing to capitalize on their power plays. However, the Wolves managed to regroup during the intermission and struck 38 seconds into the final period – this time through Luke Moncada. The joy was short-lived once again, as Tomas Rubes quickly made it 3-2.

Tommy Purdeller & Co. celebrated a narrow victory. © I. Foppa / HC Pustertal

Pustertal refused to give up, however, and capitalized on a penalty against Sean Giles with about five minutes remaining. The power play was exemplified by Greg Di Tomaso. And that wasn't all: with 39 seconds left, former HCP star Shane Hanna received another penalty for delay of game. Fitzgerald didn't hesitate and scored the game-winning goal with four seconds remaining.

test match

Starbulls Rosenheim – HC Pustertal 3:4
Goals: 1:0 Luigi Calce (9.14), 1:1 Gerry Fitzgerald (20.57), 2:1 Johannes Achatz (22.07), 2:2 Luke Moncada (40.38), 3:2 Tomas Rubes (43.16), 3:3 Greg Di Tomaso (56.24), 3:4 Gerry Fitzgerald (59.56)