Austin Osmanski and HC Pustertal were certainly not in a laughing mood. © HCP/Instagram

"Cringe-worthy": Pustertal's harsh derby reckoning

The big South Tyrolean ice hockey derby on Sunday caused a major uproar that will reverberate in both clubhouses for a long time to come. The trigger was a pre-game team talk from Bolzano and a performance from Puster Valley that the club bosses weren't about to let slide after the match.

February 02, 2026

From: det/fop

With a HC Bozen thrashed HC Pustertal 7-2 on Sunday.It was an evening that stirred up great emotions: Here the Bolzano fans in a frenzy of jubilation, there the completely dejected Puster Valley Wolves – and finally a man who walked out of the Sparkasse Arena with a broad grin: HCB boss Dieter Knoll"I will sleep well tonight," he said, and with these words disappeared into the night.

Hours earlier, Knoll himself had apparently made a small contribution to the Bolzano derby spectacle. How? With an impassioned appeal to his players. "Yes, that's right," the HCB boss admitted, "I went into the locker room and said: 'No matter how the game ends, I want everyone to give their all.' I specifically addressed the Olympic participants, congratulated them on their selection, but at the same time emphasized that they were under contract with HC Bolzano and obligated to give 100 percent. The lads then put that into practice."

Knoll's appeal to the Olympic cyclists

After his Foxes' recent string of bitterly disappointing performances, Knoll was greatly relieved after the derby victory – especially since the derby holds special significance for him. "I want to be champions, of course. But my second goal is to be number one in South Tyrol, in all of Italy. With a third win, nobody can take that away from us."

That's what Bolzano's two-goal scorer said. Brad McClure In an audio interview after the derby victory:


While Knoll and McClure were full of praise, Pustertal's sports director Patrick Bona After the game, he was highly critical of his Wolves. "Two-thirds of the game were utterly embarrassing. They lacked fire, fighting spirit, and above all, pride. You can't go into such an important game like that. I don't even know if every player was sweating today," said Bona after HC Pustertal's dismal performance. He added: "Luckily, we have a break now, but one thing is certain: the club and the coaches will not accept a performance like that."

"The club will not accept such a proposal." HCP sports director Patrick Bona

The sporting director's words are likely to reverberate in Bruneck for several days and – as the Puster Valley fans, seasoned by derby defeats, probably hope – will cause ringing in the ears of many a player during upcoming matches. One of those who immediately echoed Bona's sentiments after the thrashing was striker... Matthias MantingerHe said: "That was a scandalous performance. To get thrashed like that a second time here in Bolzano after the 1:9 defeat in October, that shouldn't happen."

Mantinger introduces himself to Rabanser

Before leaving the arena, Mantinger wanted to make one last point: "And don't blame Jakob for this defeat!" He was referring to reserve goalie Jakob Rabanser, who stepped in for the ill Eddie Pasquale and didn't look good on several of the goals conceded. "First he hardly plays, then he gets a chance in a game like this and is suddenly supposed to cover up all the mistakes made by his teammates? That can't be right! We're all to blame. We were simply bad today – and Bolzano skillfully played it out. We have to acknowledge that respectfully."

Mantinger's offensive colleagues also Cole Bardreau The Puster Valley defeat has left its mark. "Phew, that was a tough evening!" he sighed. After a long pause for thought, he attempted a game analysis in an interview with SportNews: "We didn't do a single thing wrong; it was a handful of things that we approached completely incorrectly today. Then it all snowballed: Bolzano had the momentum, really picked up speed, and we did nothing to slow them down. The only good thing is that this didn't happen to us in the playoffs, and we still have a chance to turn things around."