Kaltern lost to Aosta. © Manfred Sinn (8)

At the start of the final: Aosta shocks Kaltern in overtime

On Saturday, the first game of the best-of-7 final series of the Italian Hockey League (IHL) between Kaltern and Aosta took place. SV Kaltern suffered a setback. In an intense match, the Pikes were defeated in overtime in front of their home crowd.

March 29, 2025

From: azl

This year, the Hechte impressively won both the regular season and the Master Round. In the quarterfinals of the playoffs, they defeated Kaltern Valpellice, and in the semifinals, they finally prevailed against arch-rivals Varese. They are now in the IHL final for the seventh time in the club's history. Things didn't start as planned on Saturday, as Aosta prevailed 2-1 in overtime in Kaltern.

The Oltradige team had won all four of their season-long duels against their final opponents. It was already clear in advance that the final series would be anything but easy. The visitors from Aosta delivered a potent performance in the semifinals, virtually blowing Cup winners Feltre off the ice. The visitors were similarly dominant in the opening stages of the match at the Raiffeisen Arena in Kaltern.

Aosta took the lead after just over two minutes: Joshua Berger beat goalie Samuel Rohregger on the power play, after assists from Christian Buono and Nicholas Nardella. The home team subsequently found their way into the game and equalized a few minutes into the second period through Moritz Selva.

Aosta wins after extra time

The Pikes then pushed for the lead and created a significant advantage in the number of chances. But the visitors' goalkeeper proved almost insurmountable, and after three periods, the score remained 1-1. Things turned bitter for SV Kaltern in overtime: Overtime had barely begun when Dmytro Nimenko scored to give Aosta a 2-1 away win and an early lead in the final series. Game 2 continues on Tuesday in Aosta.

IHL, Playoff Final, Game 1

SV Kaltern – HC Aosta 1:2
Goals: 0:1 Berger (2.39), 1:1 Selva 23.54), 1:2 Nimmenko (60:36)
Audience: 470
Series score: 0:1