Red Bulls kick off CHL home season against Polish champions
Thursday, 28. August 2025 |
Red Bulls kick off CHL home season against Polish championsPeter Schneider: “We're really excited that it's finally starting”// CHL Regular SeasonEC Red Bull Salzburg will play its first game of the new CHL regular season tomorrow, Friday, hosting Polish champions GKS Tychy at the Eisarena Salzburg (8:20 p.m.).
The Red Bulls want to make the most of their home advantage against the Polish team and start the new season with a win if possible.
Interview Peter Schneider
Starting point
The first competitive game of the new season in Salzburg will see a clash between the champions of Poland and Austria, or rather the win2day ICE Hockey League. GKS Tychy is still an unknown quantity for the Red Bulls. But two CHL appearances in the last seven years – another was prevented by the cancellation of the 2020/21 season due to COVID-19 – speak for the consistently good performances of the club from southern Poland. In addition, they have won six championship titles since 2005, although the 2020 title had to be decided on the basis of the regular season standings due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Red Bulls have been warned, even though they have won all four of their previous games against Polish clubs (Krakow in 2009, Jastrzębie twice in 2021, and Oświęcim in 2024). Last year in Oświęcim, however, it took overtime to secure a 3-2 victory.
Preparation
Tychy has played five games so far, winning three of them. Four of those games were against teams from the Czech second division, and one was against HC Olomouc from the Czech top division, the Extraliga. The Poles lost 1-3 in Olomouc. After losing 1-2 in overtime in their first home test against HC Košice last weekend, the Red Bulls played a strong game against EV Zug at the Red Bulls Salute, despite losing 3-4. The second game of the invitational tournament – with seven players out – against EHC Red Bull Munich went to the Germans 6-2.
Tight personnel situation
The Red Bulls will also have to do without several players for the first highlight of the season. Ali Wukovits and Vadim Schreiner will be out for even longer. Peter Hochkofler (upper body) could also be out for longer, depending on his recovery process; he is currently undergoing treatment. The same goes for Troy Bourke, who is out after suffering a training injury (lower body). Added to this is Mario Huber, who underwent surgery on Monday after being hit in the face by a puck during training last week. The 29-year-old forward was discharged from hospital yesterday and will resume training next week.
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Statement by Peter Schneider
“We are really excited that it's finally starting. We need to go into the game against the Polish champions with a focused attitude. The teams from Poland work very hard and want to prove themselves here. We need to be ready for that. I hope we can get a win against Tychy on Friday in front of a big crowd.”
Champions Hockey League EC Red Bull Salzburg – GKS Tychy Fri, 08/29/2025 | Eisarena Salzburg, 8:20 p.m. ORF ON
CHL | Red Bulls' regular season
Fri, 08/29/25 | Red Bull Salzburg – GKS Tychy | 8:20 p.m. Sun, 08/31/25 | Red Bull Salzburg – Pinguins Bremerhaven | 5:30 p.m. Thu, 09/04/25 | Ilves Tampere – Red Bull Salzburg | 5:30 p.m.* Sat, 09/06/25 | KalPa Kuopio – Red Bull Salzburg | 4:00 p.m.* Wed, 10/08/25 | Odense Bulldogs – Red Bull Salzburg | 7:00 p.m. Wed, 10/15/25 | Red Bull Salzburg – Eisbären Berlin | 8:20 p.m.
* Start times in CEST
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