Game Recap
Salzburg began with a lot of momentum and possession, but the first big chances belonged to the home team. Goalkeeper David Kickert distinguished himself for the first time against Graham Knott and Brian Lebler (5th minute). He then also scored against Shawn St-Amant, who appeared alone in front of him (7th minute). After that, the Red Bulls recovered and opened the game with good offensive moves, with a back-and-forth affair. The final minutes belonged entirely to the Red Bulls, who established themselves in the offensive zone and finally scored the opening goal on the power play after Michael Raffl failed to get past Linz goalie Thomas Höneckl after a solo effort (15th minute). Travis St. Denis didn't miss the chance from a tight angle following a cross pass from Michael Raffl and fired Salzburg into a one-timer to give them the lead at halftime (20th minute).
Salzburg continued its strong performance seamlessly in the second period. With plenty of pressure and good combinations, they led the way to the goal, in which Thomas Höneckl did a good job. With his inimitable wrist shot from the right face-off circle, Brian Lebler equalized the score (25th minute) right during Salzburg's strong period. This put the Black Wings back in the game, evenly matched by chances on both sides. During a good Linz power play (from the 31st minute), David Kickert parried several truly dangerous (covered) shots. After a highly intense few minutes, the Red Bulls once again dominated the shooting phase, failing to capitalize on opportunities from Peter Schneider at the left post (38th minute) and Lucas Thaler in the slot (40th minute). The score was 1-1 after 40 minutes.
In the final period, no one showed any signs of being in front of their own net. A long-range shot from nowhere by Logan Roe in heavy traffic then gave Linz the lead (46th minute). The Red Bulls then seized the initiative. Benjamin Nissner was left alone once and, with great skill, conjured the puck into the top corner (50th minute). This brought Linz back into the game, and the game went back and forth. In the final minutes, the pressure on Salzburg's goal increased, with David Kickert keeping his team on track with several saves. Thomas Raffl had one last good opportunity in the slot shortly before the final whistle, but the score remained 2-2, forcing overtime. The Red Bulls had the better advantage overall, but Travis Barron finished off his solo run with the goal to give the Upper Austrians a 3-2 win (60th minute), thus securing the extra point.
