Defending champions Red Bull Salzburg trail 0-2 in their quarterfinal playoff series in the ICE Hockey League. HC Pustertal secured a second consecutive victory against the reigning champions, winning 2-1 in Bruneck on Thursday (1-1, 1-0, 0-0). Graz99ers also took a 2-0 lead in their series against VSV after a decisive 5-1 win (0-0, 0-0, 5-1) in Villach. HCB Südtirol leveled their series with a 2-1 victory (0-1, 1-0, 1-0) at Olimpija Ljubljana.
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The third games in these series are scheduled for Saturday, with the fourth quarterfinal set to begin on Sunday. The KAC versus Fehervar series, which was halted after KAC player Jordan Murray collapsed, will also be decided in a best-of-seven format.
Salzburg Falls to Strong Performance by Pasquale
After a hard-fought overtime loss at home on Tuesday, Salzburg initially took the lead in Bruneck. Travis St. Denis capitalized on a puck win in the offensive zone, scoring after a scramble to give his team a deserved 1-0 advantage (12th minute). Salzburg then had a power-play opportunity to extend their lead, but it was the Pustertal side who found the back of the net. Henry Bowlby beat Atte Tolvanen with a shot through the legs after a counterattack (14th minute).
Pustertal completed the turnaround early in the second period with a goal from Daniel Glira (23rd minute). Michael Raffl had a prime opportunity to equalize after a costly turnover by the opposition, while Tyler Lewington narrowly missed with a shot off the post. Pustertal’s goaltender, Edward Pasquale, delivered a standout performance, stopping 31 shots.
Tolvanen kept Salzburg from falling behind 3-1 early in the final period. Despite the chance, Salzburg couldn’t convert on their third power play. Salzburg dominated possession, but Pustertal launched dangerous counterattacks. With two minutes remaining, Tolvanen was pulled from the net, but Salzburg’s late push with an extra attacker proved fruitless, marking their third loss in Bruneck this season.
99ers Dominate in the Third Period
Playing in front of 3,100 fans at the Villach Stadthalle, the 99ers outshot their opponents significantly but didn’t break through until the third period. Paul Huber opened the scoring just 61 seconds into the period, beating Joe Cannata. Tim Harnisch followed up less than 90 seconds later to extend the lead. Josh Currie (55th minute) made it 3-0 for the Steiermark team, before Maximilian Rebernig (57th minute) briefly reignited the game. However, the 99ers quickly regained control, with Kevin Roy and Jakob Lippitsch adding goals four and five for the team that finished atop the regular-season standings.
(Source: APA)
