Monday, 18. March 2024 | Ali Wukovits: "We expect a lot of physical contact and a lot of emotion"
Semi-final! Red Bulls in the final rematch against Bolzano // win2day ICE Hockey League Tomorrow, Tuesday, the first playoff semi-final game of the win2day ICE Hockey League between EC Red Bull Salzburg and HCB Südtirol Alperia will take place at Eisarena Salzburg (7:15 p.m., livestream). The two finalists from last season will thus meet again in the play-off; a year ago, the Red Bulls beat Bolzano in seven games in the battle for the ICE title. The semi-final series will also be decided in best-of-seven mode.
Next home game | Playoffs semifinals | 1st game
Tue, 19 March vs. HCB Südtirol Alperia | Tickets
Starting position
This is pure excitement! After the Red Bulls and the South Tyroleans played out a thrilling and hard-fought 7-game series in last season's final series - the Red Bulls won the decisive game in Bolzano 2:1 - the two rivals will now meet in the semi-finals.
And this promises to be another hot series, as both teams have advanced to the preliminary round almost in lockstep. Both teams won both of their home games in the direct duel of the 2023/24 basic round, with all games ending with a three-goal difference. Both then went on to win five games in the quarter-finals - the Red Bulls against Linz and Bolzano against Villach. The two teams are also almost evenly matched on offense; the Red Bulls scored 19 times in the quarter-finals, the South Tyroleans 18 times.
Only in the comparison of the two teams' playoff series do the South Tyroleans have an advantage. They won two final series against Salzburg (2014 and 2018), while the Red Bulls won one series (2023). All series went the full distance (2014 only best of five).
Top player in the playoffs
Captain Thomas Raffl leads the way for the Red Bulls and is Salzburg's top player after the quarterfinals with 4 goals and 3 assists. Mario Huber and Drake Rymsha have already scored three times, and the 'usual suspects' are also in action with two-goal scorers Troy Bourke, Lucas Thaler and Chay Genoway.
In Bolzano, too, it has mainly been the expected goalscorers who have struck so far. Brad McClure, like Salzburg's Thomas Raffl, has 4 goals and 3 assists on his playoff account. Dustin Gazley scored three times, followed by Joshua Teves, Daniel Mantenuto and Daniel Frank with two goals each.
Forward Ali Wukovits
"We're all really looking forward to the semi-final. There's a great rivalry between the two clubs, so there will be a lot of fire in the series. We're expecting a lot of physical contact and certainly a lot of emotion, simply the best playoff ice hockey there is. We can also start in front of our home crowd and that's definitely an advantage."
Playoff Semifinals | Games of the Red Bulls
1 | Tue, 19.03.24 | EC Red Bull Salzburg - HCB Südtirol Alperia | 7.15 p.m.
2 | Fri, 22.03.24 | HCB Südtirol Alperia - EC Red Bull Salzburg | 7.45 p.m.
3 | Sun, 24.03.24 | EC Red Bull Salzburg - HCB Südtirol Alperia | 6.30 p.m. | Puls 24
4 | Tue, 26.03.24 | HCB Südtirol Alperia - EC Red Bull Salzburg | 7.45 p.m.
5* | Thu, 28.03.24 | EC Red Bull Salzburg - HCB Südtirol Alperia | 7.15 p.m.
6* | Sat, 30.03.24 | HCB Südtirol Alperia - EC Red Bull Salzburg | 6 p.m.
7* | Tue, 02.04.24 | EC Red Bull Salzburg - HCB Südtirol Alperia | 7.15 p.m.
* If necessary
Nächstes Heimspiel
Playoffs Semifinals | 1st game
EC Red Bull Salzburg – HCB Südtirol Alperia
Tue, 19.03.2024 | Eisarena Salzburg, 7.15 p.m.
Livestream | Tickets
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Red Bulls win racy duel against Bolzano 5:2// WIN2DAY ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE
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Weakened Red Bulls lose in Bolzano // WIN2DAY ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE
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