Playoff misstep: Bolzano crashes into the Linz Wall

HC Bozen started the playoffs against the Black Wings from Linz on Tuesday with a 2-0 win. In the Sparkasse Arena, the Stahlstadt team ran into the open knife of the regular season winners from South Tyrol and therefore largely had no chance. In game 2, however, the fans got to see a completely different Linz team, against whom the HCB really struggled from the start and who deservedly won 2-1 in the end.

How the Black Wings knocked out the Foxes? They were always in control, closed in the neutral zone, sealed off their own box and took the two Bolzano stars Mitch Hults and Christian Thomas completely out of the game. But above all, the Linzers pulled the HCB's teeth with one thing: the underdog showed off all of its physical strength, completed every check and didn't give up an inch. The same couldn't be said of the Foxes. The simple but true conclusion: The Black Wings simply wanted this victory more.

The early lead by Shaw St-Amant definitely played into their hands. Bozen only managed to equalize in the last ten minutes, but then tripped itself up: after a disorderly substitution, Linz was handed the winning goal on a silver platter. The highlights Cold shower Four revolutions of the pointer have passed – and Linz is leading! The omnipresent Shawn St-Amant chases the puck into the Bolzano goal. HCB goalie Sam Harvey's view is blocked, but the shot would have been sustainable. First cheers, then frustration Bolzano hits back in the middle third with Luca Frigo, but the joy only lasts a few moments. The HCB fighter's supposed 15th goal of the season is withdrawn due to a very slight offside position. Nerves flutter The match becomes increasingly nervous, towards the end of the middle third there are two cracks per team in the cooler. Goalies Harvey and Tirronen show their class several times on the ice. The compensation! Bolzano applied pressure in the final period and had a power play situation ten minutes before the end. Cole Hults only needed ten seconds to get the disc past the innocent Tirronen into the net - the 1-1! Die Antwort Linz reacted immediately - also with the help of the Foxes, who made a bad substitution, so that Romig opened up a corridor, at the end of which he coolly gave up Harvey (53'). Of course, this defeat wasn't a broken leg, but it was a clear signal: This best-of-7 series can't happen on its own. Game 3 will take place in the Sparkasse Arena on Sunday. It starts at 18 p.m.

ICE Quarterfinals, Game 2 (Best-of-7) Black Wings Linz – HCB Südtirol Alperia 2-1 Business Administration: Tirronen (Höneckl); Roe-Schumnig, Wolf-Dorion, Schnetzer-Lindner, Mitsch-Murphy; Lebler-Haga-Gaffal, Romig-Knott-St-Amant, Kristler-Stuart-Brucker, Bretschneider-Pusnik-Lahoda

HSBC: Harvey (Bernard); Culkin-Miglioranzi, Dalhuisen-Cole Hults, Valentine-DiPerna, Ginnetti; Halmo-Mich Hults-Thomas, Miceli-McClure-Gazley, Frattin-Alberga-Felicetti, Frigo-Mantenuto-Frank, Brunner

Gates: 1:0 Shaw St-Amant (4.03), 1:1 Cole Hults (50.12), 2:1 Emilio Romig (52.24)

Viewers: 3461

Standings in the best-of-7 series: 1:1

The other games Fehervar AV 19 – Red Bull Salzburg 1:2 Goals: 1:0 Mihaly (3.39), 1:1 Nissner (13.43), 1:2 Thaler (34.00) Audience: 2735 Status in the series: 0:2

EC KAC – Villacher SV 0:4 Goals: 0:1 Joslin (3.46), 0:2 Desjardins (39.16), 0:3 Hughes (53.39), 0:4 Rebernig (57.16) Audience: 4379 Status in the series: 1:1

Vienna Capitals – HC Innsbruck 0:4 Goals: 0:1 Peeters (7.09), 0:2 Mackin (25.40), 0:3 Shaw (28.38), 0:4 Mackin (56.56) Audience: 4600 Status in the series: 1:1

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. Klagenfurt	47	183:101	102
2. Fehervar	46	146:126	89
3. Salzburg	46	142:107	87
4. HCB South Tyrol	46	137:125	76
5. Linz	46	146:116	75
6. Villach	46	155:136	74
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Playoff misstep: Bolzano crashes into the Linz Wall

Anyone who thought that the quarter-final series against the Black Wings Linz would be a sure-fire success was proven wrong by Friday evening at the latest. HCB Südtirol Alperia suffered an away defeat in game 2. Now everything is open again.

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