Thursday, 11. January 2024 |
Tough weekend awaits Red Bulls with two top games Paul Stapelfeldt: "It's fun to play in such a cauldron"// win2day ICE Hockey League On Friday at third-placed Hydro Fehérvár AV19 (19:15, livestream), followed by a home game against league leaders KAC on Sunday (17:30, Puls 24) - EC Red Bull Salzburg have two real battles waiting for them this weekend in the win2day ICE Hockey League. First, however, the focus is exclusively on the strong Hungarians, who have been leading the table for quite some time this season and are now in third place behind the Red Bulls, fighting to displace them from second place.
Next home game
Sun, 14 January vs. EC-KAC
Puls 24 | Retro Night | Tickets
The starting position
With the Red Bulls' game in Székesfehérvár, three quarters of the basic round have been completed. Thoughts are increasingly revolving around the upcoming playoffs - even though a lot can still happen - and the game between the third and second-placed teams in the table is already pointing the way. The Red Bulls have won their two games against Hydro Fehérvár AV19 so far and want to pick up points on their second visit to the venerable Gábor Ocskay Jr. Ice Hall (still without new signing Cameron Schilling). They will need to improve on their last home game against Asiago, which they won 3:1, but were unable to break through the Italian defense for a long time.
The Hungarians will be really hot for the Red Bulls and therefore extremely dangerous. For one thing, Salzburg have beaten them twice this season by 4:1, continuing an incredible winning streak. Hungary's last win against Salzburg dates back to February 20, 2022, and since then - the 2022 final, the 2022/23 basic round and quarter-finals and the current basic round - the Red Bulls have won 14 games in a row.
And secondly, the team of young Head Coach Dávid Kiss is looking to bounce back after five defeats in a row and will be frenetically cheered on by the notorious home crowd as usual.
Focus on top players
The Hungarians' best man is still Janos Hari, who also played 18 games for the Red Bulls in the 2019/20 season before returning to Székesfehérvár in 2020 and has captained the team ever since. The 31-year-old striker is on course for the best season of his career and now has 14 goals and 28 assists (42 points). In 2017/18, he scored 46 points in the ICE basic round as his best performance to date. This makes him the fifth-best scorer in the league.
With 17 goals and 21 assists (38 points), Salzburg's top scorer Peter Schneider is in eighth place in the league standings. He is also well on his way to at least surpassing last year's performance. He scored 16 goals and 26 assists (42 points) in the basic round.
Defenceman Paul Stapelfeldt
"We know the team and the arena in Székesfehérvár very well by now. The Hungarians always get off to a great start in the first period and have an enormous push from their fans. We have to be ready for that. And after five defeats by the Hungarians, we can certainly prepare ourselves for a great fight. But the atmosphere there is always something special, it's just fun to play in such a cauldron and make life difficult for them."
Head to head season 2023/24 | 2:0
22.09.23 | Hydro Fehérvár AV19 - EC Red Bull Salzburg 1:4 (0:0, 0:2, 1:2)
28.11.23 | EC Red Bull Salzburg - Hydro Fehérvár AV19 4:1 (0:0, 1:1, 3:0)
12.01.24 | Hydro Fehérvár AV19 - EC Red Bull Salzburg | 7.15 p.m.
30.01.24 | EC Red Bull Salzburg - Hydro Fehérvár AV19 | 7.15 p.m.
win2day ICE Hockey League
Hydro Fehérvár AV19 - EC Red Bull Salzburg
Fri, 12.01.2024; Székesfehérvár, 7.15 p.m.
Livestream
Next home game
Sun, 14 January vs. EC-KAC
Eisarena Salzburg, 5.30 p.m.
Puls 24 | Retro Night | Tickets
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