Kaltern (in black, white, and red) and Aosta faced each other for the first time in the final series on Saturday. © Manfred Sinn

Champions comeback: Kaltern wins the opening match of the finals

SV Kaltern maintained their home advantage in the Italian Hockey League (IHL) playoff final against HC Aosta. For a long time, things didn't look good for the reigning champions.

March 28, 2026

From: dl

In game one of the best-of-seven series, Kaltern defeated Aosta 4-3 in overtime at their home arena, the Raiffeisen Arena. The team, led by superstar Joonas Alanne (who scored the game-winner), had trailed by two goals at one point. As a reminder, Kaltern defeated Aosta 4-2 in last year's final series.

The first two periods were fairly even, but Aosta ruthlessly exploited Kaltern's mistakes, scoring on counterattacks in both: After a turnover in the offense, Nicholas Nardella broke away completely alone in the 16th minute and calmly slotted the puck past Samuel Rohregger. The second goal, making it 2-0, came from a well-executed give-and-go, finished off by Dmytro Nimenko after just over half an hour of play.

Kaltern turned up the heat in the final third.

Kaltern turned things around in the final period: After a beautiful pass, Joonas Alanne scored a spectacular goal to bring them within one at the start of the third period. Even after going down 1-3, the team from Überetsch remained unfazed. However, Luca De Doná and Mikael Saha scored twice in quick succession within four minutes, forcing overtime.

Kaltern and Aosta already delivered a thrilling battle in the first match. © Manfred Sinn

In overtime, Kaltern's star player Alanne sealed the victory with a powerful shot after just under five minutes, sparking jubilation. The now 35-year-old Finn played 233 top-flight games for the Lahti Pelicans in his home country and moved from the third division in Germany to the South Tyrolean wine village this summer. He has already tallied over 60 points for Kaltern. The final series now moves to Aosta on Tuesday (20 p.m.).

IHL: Playoff Final

SV Kaltern – HC Aosta 4:3 OT
0:1 Nardella (15.14), 0:2 Nimenko (31.55), 1:2 Alanne (43.58), 1:3 Fraschetta (46.10), 2:3 De Doná (52.16), 3:3 Saha (56.21), 4:3 Alanne (64.52)
Audience: 720
Standing in the best-of-7 series: 1:0