Course of the game
There is no better way to start such a decisive game. The Red Bulls immediately applied a lot of pressure and in the 4th minute Benjamin Nissner made quick use of a mistake by Hungarian goalkeeper Dominik Horvath, who played the disc from behind the goal into the slot, and netted into the empty net to make it 1:0. Four minutes later, Troy Bourke converted Florian Baltram's pass from an acute angle to make it 2:0 (8'). The Hungarians reacted and swapped goalkeepers, with Rasmus Reijola coming in. But even he soon had to reach behind him, as Andrew Rowe caught the disc at his own blue line while short-handed and completed his solo run with a backhanded hook to give his side a 3:0 lead at the break (15'). It was well deserved, as the home side were hardly able to pose a threat in the sometimes rough first period.
The second period was more open. The Red Bulls again had a number of chances at the start and Troy Bourke extended Ryan Murphy's pass to make it 4:0 (25'). The Hungarians then reduced the deficit, Trevor Cheek scoring from the slot (32'). Shortly afterwards, Istvan Terbocs touched the bar with a backhand. After further opportunities on both sides, the Hungarians went one better, Akos Mihaly scored from the face-off circle after a 2-on-1 counter-attack (39'). The Red Bulls were no longer so confident and Fehérvár AV19 had brought themselves back into the game.
The Hungarians took the momentum into the final third and reduced the deficit to 3:4 (45') in a game that remained evenly poised, Balacz Sebok was in the right place in front of Salzburg's goal. After that, the game was dominated by fighting, but the home side pressed more and forced the Red Bulls to do a lot of defensive work. Atte Tolvanen and his front men withstood the pressure in the end, even against six Hungarian outfield players, and were ultimately delighted with the narrow victory that secured the Red Bulls' participation in next season's CHL.