Match report
The Red Bull Hockey Juniors got off to an energetic start in the first period and put the visitors from Val Gardena under pressure early on. Philipp Krening gave the home side a 1:0 lead in the 4th minute of the game after a feed from Felix Baumann. Val Gardena became more active over the course of the third period and looked for the equalizer, but goalkeeper Valentin Ankirchner held on to the lead with strong saves. It was not until the 16th minute that Yuri Cristellon managed to equalize at 1:1 after a pass from Samuel Moroder. Shortly before the first break, the Juniors took advantage of an overtime situation: Daniel Assavolyuk scored in the 20th minute to make it 2:1 at the end of the third period.
The second period saw an increase in penalties on both sides and the game developed into a veritable goal festival. In the 30th minute, Leo Messner equalized for Gröden to make it 2:2 after an unfortunate deflected pass landed in the net. Inspired by this goal, the South Tyroleans took the lead for the first time in the 32nd minute through Davide Schiavone. The Juniors responded promptly: Just one minute later (33'), Leon Kolarik equalized at 3:3 after an assist from Philipp Krening. But the visitors remained dangerous and made effective use of their chances. Simon Pitschieler put Val Gardena ahead again in the 36th minute (4:3) and increased the lead to 5:3 in the 38th minute.
The visitors extended their lead in the final period: Vili Juhani Laitinen scored in the 44th minute to make it 6:3. The Red Bulls did not give up and fought their way back into the game. In the 46th minute, Maximilian Kirchebner reduced the deficit to 4:6 after a pass from Alexander Rebernig. Salzburg increased the pressure and created numerous opportunities. In an overtime situation five minutes before the end, Philipp Krening managed to make it 5:6 with a shot from the slot (56'). Spurred on by this success, the Juniors took goalkeeper Ankirchner off the ice for an extra outfield player in the final seconds. But Gröden made the most of the opportunity: Stephan Deluca scored into the empty net to make the final score 7:5 (60.).