Jakob Fuchs and the Foxes are once again hosting the South Tyrol Summer Classic. © HCB/Loris Bregolato

South Tyrol Summer Classic: HCB tests itself against strong opponents

Everything is ready on Galvanistraße for the sixth edition of the Südtirol Summer Classic by Sparkasse, the traditional summer tournament of HCB Südtirol Alperia, which also marks the first home game of the new season for the Red and Whites. Two days of top-level ice hockey await the fans, with top-class teams at the Sparkasse Arena.

August 28, 2026

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The tournament takes place on Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30, with two games each day. Tomorrow at 16:00 PM, the top match between Germany's Red Bull Munich and Switzerland's Lausanne HC will take place. At 20:00 PM, Bolzano will then face the French Brûleurs de Loups de Grenoble. On Sunday, the third-place game will be played at 16:00 PM, followed by the grand final at 20:00 PM.

On the personnel front, Coach Karhula has his entire roster available, with the exception of Louis Domingue: The Canadian goalie continues to complete his regular on-ice training and will see action in the coming weeks. Teemu Kivihalme will also return, having missed the Asiago game due to some bureaucratic delays that have since been resolved. Young Martin Gamper from HC Meran will also be available as backup.

Luca Frigo is satisfied with the Foxes' preparation. © HCB/Loris Bregolato

"So far, the preseason is going very well," explains captain Luca Frigo. "Regardless of the results, we're working in the right direction and really growing into a great group. It will be great to play at home again for the tournament this weekend. At the same time, we're facing two very high-level opponents. This will help us see where we currently stand and what we need to focus on in the coming weeks."

Red Bull Munich
Founded in 1998 as HC München 98, the German club changed its name to EHC München in 2004 and worked its way up through the various national leagues until its promotion to the DEL in 2010. A partnership with Red Bull followed in 2011. Over the past decade, Munich has established itself as one of the top teams in the DEL, winning the league title three times in a row between 2016 and 2018, and again in 2023. Last season, the Red Bulls finished the regular season in fourth place and were subsequently eliminated in the semifinals by Mannheim. Munich is the fourth German team to participate in the Summer Classic, following Nuremberg (2019 and 2025), Düsseldorf (2022), and Straubing (2023).

There are several familiar faces in Munich, most notably Chris De Sousa, who won the Karl Nedwed Trophy with Bolzano in 2018 and has been under contract with Bayern Munich since 2022, where he has won the hearts of fans with numerous goals. Many old opponents will also be there, including former Salzburg players Lukas Thaler, Ryan Murphy, Philipp Krening, coach Oliver David, and the young Philipp Sinn, who recently signed a contract with the San Jose Sharks organization as an undrafted player. Players who wore the German jersey at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics include, in addition to the aforementioned Kahun, Tobias Eder and Fabio Wagner.

Bayern Munich are among the best teams in the German league. © Red Bull Munich

HCB has not played against a team from the Bavarian capital for 51 years: On October 11, 1975, the Red and Whites met Munich's predecessor club EHC 70 Munich in Rom Street and won 9-4. The other encounter, also a friendly match, dates back to October 14, 1972, also in Bolzano, when HCB prevailed 12-2.

Lausanne HC
The traditional Swiss club was founded in 1922. Lausanne is the fourth Swiss team to participate in the South Tyrol Summer Classic, following Ambrì-Piotta (2022), Fribourg-Gottéron (2023), and EHC Kloten (2025). While the club from the capital of the canton of Vaud has never won the National League and narrowly missed out on the title four times (1950, 1951, 2024, and 2025), Lausanne has secured the title in Switzerland's second-highest league seven times in its history. The club has been a regular member of the National League since 2013. Last year, Lausanne finished sixth in the regular season and was subsequently eliminated in game seven of the quarterfinals by Genève-Servette.

The roster also includes several members of the Swiss national team, which finished as runners-up at the World Championships, including Damien Riat and Theo Rochette, as well as Michael Fora, who missed the World Championships due to injury but participated in the Olympic Games. The Swedish national team is also represented by Erik Brännström. Special attention is also being paid to last season's top scorer, the American and former NHL player Austin Czarnik.

Lausanne hasn't played against Bolzano in a long time. © Lausanne HC

In this case, too, previous encounters are a distant memory: one has to turn back the clock almost 70 years. Bolzano and Lausanne met three times between 1957 and 1960, all in friendly matches. On November 9, 1957, the Swiss team prevailed 5-4 in front of 2.500 spectators at the Palafiera stadium on Via Roma. On December 3 of the same year, the Lausanne side took revenge in Montchoisi before 3.000 spectators with a 5-2 victory. On November 15, 1960, the teams returned to Via Roma, where Bolzano this time celebrated a clear 10-3 win.

Brûleurs de Loups de Grenoble
The French club was founded in 1963 as Grenoble HC and boasts an impressive collection of titles, including nine French championships, most recently in 2025, and five French Cup wins. Last year, after finishing second in the regular season, Grenoble narrowly missed out on their tenth championship title, losing the final series to Bordeaux 1-4. Also in the 2025/26 season, the French team qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions Hockey League for the first time in their history: Grenoble finished the regular season in 14th place and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual champions, Frölunda.

Grenoble is one of the top teams in French hockey. © Grenoble

Matija Pintaric, a long-time goalkeeper for the Slovenian national team and active in the EBEL with Olimpija Ljubljana from 2008 to 2012, will guard the French net. Also on the list of players to watch is Canadian Nicolas Deschamps: he played ten games for Vienna in 2015 and has been playing in Grenoble since 2021, where he has already amassed 303 points in 273 games and has been among the best forwards in the Ligue Magnus for years.

There is only one historical encounter between the two teams: On October 26, 1968, the French won a friendly match 4-1 at the Palafiera in Rome Street.