The starting position
HCB Südtirol Alperia got off to the worst start of all league teams and found themselves at the bottom of the table after the first four winless rounds. After that, the head coach was replaced, Glen Hanlon returned to his old place of work and replaced the Swede Niklas Sundblad, who had taken over the coaching chair from the North American only in the summer. The Foxes have been slowly fighting their way back since then, and with yesterday's 3-1 home win over Graz, they are already holding onto 10th place in the table after ten games and three wins.
The Red Bulls have won eight times in their first nine games and are second in the table behind Pustertal (with two games less). Salzburg's strong performance had only been dampened in the recent CHL away game against Belfast (0:1 OT loss). Yesterday, the Red Bulls returned to winning ways in Linz (4:3), but had to go all the way to the penalty shootout. However, the Red Bulls showed their usual 'trademarks' again with the pressure-packed attacking game and want to bring that onto the ice at home against Bolzano as well.
The opponent
Not infrequently in the past, the South Tyroleans have experienced a bumpy start, only to rally later, roll up the field from behind and emerge as one of the most ambitious teams in the playoffs. It is probably only a matter of time until the team, which was replaced about halfway through the summer, is rehearsed and returns to the level it is used to in South Tyrol. A first step has already been taken with the change of coach and just yesterday the South Tyroleans recorded their second win in a row.
Among the most dangerous players are still players who have been in Bolzano for a long time like Mike Halmo, with three goals at the moment also the most successful South Tyrolean, Angelo Miceli or Brad McClure. Also newcomers like Connor Ford or Josh Teves have already scored well with one goal and five and four assists each. The most interesting player stock from an Austrian perspective is Canadian Lucas Lessio, who was Klagenfurt's best forward last season with 18 goals (together with Rok Ticar) and now strengthens the Bolzano offense.
Season 2022/23 | Head to Head Regular Season | 1:3
07.10.22 | EC Red Bull Salzburg - HCB Südtirol Alperia 2:5 (0:2, 1:1, 1:2)
06.11.22 | HCB Südtirol Alperia - EC Red Bull Salzburg 1:0 (0:0, 1:0, 0:0)
04.12.22 | EC Red Bull Salzburg - HCB Südtirol Alperia 3:1 (1:0, 2:1, 0:0)
26.02.23 | HCB Südtirol Alperia - EC Red Bull Salzburg 4:3 (1:2, 1.1, 2:0)
