Game report
The Juniors started strongly and had their first overtime situation early on. During this phase, they exerted enormous pressure on the visitors' goalkeeper Lorenz Widhalm. Back at full strength, they managed to turn their dominance into something tangible: Paul Noll scored from an acute angle in the 6th minute after a pass from Luca Kogler to give them a 1:0 lead. The Red Bulls followed up and largely shifted the game into the Vorarlberg's defensive third. It was only when the visitors were short-handed that they had their first chances, but Juniors goalie Valentin Ankirchner remained unassailable. Back at full strength, Salzburg continued their dominant play, while Bregenzerwald were always on the lookout for counter-attacking opportunities.
The visitors got off to a briefly better start in the second period, but Maximilian Wurzer increased the lead to 2:0 in the 24th minute after preparatory work from Philipp Krening. The game now became more physical and EC Bregenzerwald vehemently sought to close the gap. The game became more balanced and both teams created chances. Towards the end of the third period, the Juniors again gained more possession and controlled the game, but were unable to score again despite good opportunities.
The Juniors initially dominated proceedings again in the final third, but had to concede the equalizer in the 44th minute through Ievgen Fadieiev. Salzburg tried to restore their two-goal lead, but the visitors equalized in the 50th minute. An unfortunate own goal, which was attributed to Philip Metzler, brought EC Bregenzerwald back into the game. An open exchange of blows now developed, with both teams pushing for the lead. In the 53rd minute, it was Luca Kogler who gave the Red Bulls the lead again after a pass from Lukas Hörl. In the final seconds, the visitors tried to force an equalizer with a sixth field player, but the Juniors defended successfully and secured the important home win.