Starting Position
The recent victory against the Vienna Capitals was a positive. Even though it was hard-fought and came in overtime. Even though it again involved numerous penalties, which were awarded on both sides. But Salzburg once again unleashed their fighting spirit, equalizing three times from a deficit, and then, at the right moment, had the good fortune to be on their side.
Troy Bourke, who played his first competitive game of the season after a long injury layoff, and new signing Brandon Coe, in his second game with the Red Bulls, also made a good impression. Both were agile, posed a threat in front of goal, and should integrate even more into the team structure in Hungary and help the team.
And team structure is exactly what the Red Bulls need in Székesfehérvár. The Hungarians will do everything they can to get out of their misery, as they certainly hadn't imagined their season start with three wins from seven games and 9th place, given their performance last season, when they were in the top third of the table. However, recent results – a 4-2 win in Villach, preceded by a point in Ljubljana – also indicate a sense of optimism among head coach David Kiss's team. The Red Bulls will closely monitor whether this continues in today's match in Székesfehérvár against the Pioneers Vorarlberg.
Reunion with an Old Acquaintance
In their first match of the season with the Hungarians, the Red Bulls will also face Drake Rymsha. The 27-year-old American played in Salzburg in the 2023/24 season and, after a DEL season in Düsseldorf, has now landed in Székesfehérvár. Rymsha has recorded one goal and one assist in seven games. New signing Darren Archibald has adapted even better with three goals, followed by regular players Anze Kuralt and Csanad Erdely with two goals each.
In Salzburg, Michael Raffl leads the scoring with 12 points, having already scored his third goal of the season yesterday. Connor Corcoran leads the scoring list with five goals, followed by Travis St. Denis and Benjamin Nissner with four each, and Lucas Thaler with three goals.
