Match report
Bolzano took the lead in the 2nd minute with a deflected shot. The home side started the game with an early lead. Salzburg - without Florian Baltram and Andrew Rowe - then got into the game better. However, it was really tight in front of goal, with hardly any dangerous shots going towards Bolzano goalie Sam Harvey despite a lot of offensive time. Troy Bourke got into a good position at the right post on the power play (12'). Shortly afterwards, Luca Frigo beat Salzburg's David Kickert (15). Peter Schneider's follow-up shot (17) was Salzburg's next chance. David Kickert then distinguished himself with a 'monster save' (18th) and, after a scramble in front of his goal, caught a shot from close range with a lightning reaction. Bolzano had the better chances in the first intense period, but the Red Bulls were on an equal footing.
Anthony Salinitri initially failed to get past David Kickert with a top chance from the slot in the second period (21). Lucas Thaler then tried his luck from the left face-off circle (23) and Ryan Murphy with a hammer from the half-high slot (24). The game had picked up pace and went back and forth rapidly, but many attacks were intercepted by the defense. And then the Red Bulls turned the game around. In the powerplay, Thomas Raffl tapped Dennis Robertson's shot into the net to make it 1:1 (31') and just one and a half minutes later (32') Peter Schneider added another from a tight angle in the powerplay. The game then got tougher, with the Red Bulls playing short-handed twice in succession from the 34th minute onwards. And struck again in overtime before the break. Ali Wukovits converted Troy Bourke's sugar pass from the right face-off circle (40') to give the Red Bulls a 3:1 lead.
The Red Bulls dominated the opening period in the final third, with Nash Nienhuis and Tyler Lewington having good chances. Bolzano then forced the shots on Salzburg's goal and waited for the rebounds. But Salzburg kept at it and found space for counter-attacks, with chances now alternating on both sides. In the 54th minute, Lucas Thaler created the next big chance in front of Sam Harvey after a defensive error by Bolzano. At the other end, David Kickert did a great job and was on hand to save a number of well-taken shots. Only Adam Helewka's final shot from the blue line with six Bolzano players on the ice (60th) eluded him, but the Red Bulls managed to see the game out in the final 50 seconds and ultimately celebrated a deserved 3:2 win in Bolzano.