Red Bulls face two tough CHL away games
Tuesday, 02. September 2025 |
Red Bulls face two tough CHL away gamesFinland trip to Tampere and Kuopio// CHL Regular SeasonEC Red Bull Salzburg continues the Champions Hockey League regular season this week with away games against Ilves Tampere (Thursday) and KalPa Kuopio (Saturday).
After the two opening home wins against Tychy and Bremerhaven, the Red Bulls now face top-flight Finnish ice hockey, which presents a new challenge in the premier league. Departure to Finland is on Wednesday.
Starting Position
The 2025/26 CHL season has started perfectly, with six points from two games. The Red Bulls were able to exert more pressure on their opponents in the decisive phases in both games, playing on equal terms with the Polish champions (3-1 with an empty net) and the DEL third-place team after last year's regular season (3-2), and thus were deserved winners. The reigning champions of the win2day ICE Hockey League put in an impressive performance both offensively and defensively. However, against Finland's two top teams – Ilves finished third last season, while KalPa is the Finnish champion – they will need to improve their performance. The recent fluctuations in the second half of the season, in particular, need to be quickly eliminated if they want to score points in the far north.
Ilves Tampere
With 16 Finnish championship titles, Ilves Tampere is one of the most storied ice hockey clubs in Europe. The "Lynxes" are currently among the best in Finnish ice hockey. In the last three Liiga seasons, Ilves finished second in the regular season each year and twice achieved third place (which is played in Finland). Last season, Ilves lost in the semifinals with a 2-4 loss to KalPa, the eventual Finnish champions. Ilves has also shown excellent form in the CHL, with two early road wins. The Finns won 3-1 against their DEL counterparts in Ingolstadt and followed that up with a 7-4 rout of the Belfast Giants in Northern Ireland two days later.
The CHL matchup with the Red Bulls in Tampere will not be played in the Nokia Arena this time, but in the Hakametsä, the Finns' former home arena with a capacity of 7,300 spectators. Some Salzburg players may still be familiar with the arena; the Red Bulls lost 2-4 to Tappara in their last appearance in this arena in 2017.
The Red Bulls last fought a hard-fought battle with Ilves in the CHL three years ago. In the first leg (back then still in the group stage), Salzburg lost 2-3 at home in overtime, only to take revenge a week later in Tampere with a 2-1 penalty shootout victory.
Personnel Situation
The Red Bulls will continue to be without Ali Wukovits, Vadim Schreiner, Peter Hochkofler, Troy Bourke, and Mario Huber, who are recovering, for their trip to Finland. Maximilian Wurzer is also unavailable after suffering a lower-body injury in the last game against Bremerhaven. Maxim Eliseev has been promoted to the roster. The 19-year-old forward with Finnish-Russian dual citizenship joined the Red Bull Ice Hockey Academy from Jokerit Helsinki this summer and could soon make his debut with Salzburg's professional team.
CHL 2025/26 - Logoleiste im Text
Statement from Atte Tolvanen
"We scored points in the first two CHL games with good team play. Now we face the big challenge of playing against two of the best Finnish teams. We should pay particular attention to the second period, where we've been slipping off the pace recently. We're very excited about the challenge."
Champions Hockey League Ilves Tampere – EC Red Bull Salzburg Thu, September 4, 2025 | Tampere, 5:30 PM* ORF Sport+
KalPa Kuopio – EC Red Bull Salzburg Sat, September 6, 2025 | Kuopio, 4:00 PM* ORF ON
CHL | Regular Season der Red Bulls
Fr, 29.08.25 | Red Bull Salzburg – GKS Tychy 3:1 (1:0, 0:1, 2:0) So, 31.08.25 | Red Bull Salzburg – Pinguins Bremerhaven 3:2 (2:0, 0:2, 1:0) Do, 04.09.25 | Ilves Tampere – Red Bull Salzburg | 5.30 p.m.* Sa, 06.09.25 | KalPa Kuopio – Red Bull Salzburg | 4 p.m.* Mi, 08.10.25 | Odense Bulldogs – Red Bull Salzburg | 7 p.m. Mi, 15.10.25 | Red Bull Salzburg – Eisbären Berlin | 8.20 p.m.
* Start times in CEST
Next home game of the Red Bulls
On 14 September vs. EC-KAC Eisarena Salzburg | 5.30 p.m.
Red Bulls celebrate a 6-point weekend at the start of the CHL
Mit Video
Red Bulls celebrate a 6-point weekend at the start of the CHL// CHL REGULAR SEASON
Strong CHL start for the Red Bulls with last-minute victory
Mit Video
Strong CHL start for the Red Bulls with last-minute victory// CHL REGULAR SEASON
Streaming Package on Sporteurope.TV Now Available at a Promo Price
Streaming Package on Sporteurope.TV Now Available at a Promo Price// WIN2DAY ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE
Interview Atte Tolvanen