Thursday, 16. October 2025 |
It's the eagerly anticipated first encounter with the Slovenians, whose fortunes have been led by former Red Bulls associate coach Ben Cooper as their new head coach this season.
Statement Maximilian Kirchebner
Starting Position
The Red Bulls have recently suffered from a lack of scoring opportunities in the win2day ICE Hockey League, winning only once in their last four games and falling back to fifth place in the standings. However, in yesterday's CHL home game against the Eisbären Berlin (4:1), the Salzburgers really got their act together again, impressing with a solid team performance from start to finish. With their newfound confidence, the Red Bulls now aim to appear in Ljubljana and steal points from the previous surprise team.
Given the new lineup and the spirit of optimism in Ljubljana, the surprise wasn't entirely unexpected. The qualities of former Salzburg players Nicolai Meyer and T.J. Brennan are well known, as are those of Zach Boychuk, who transferred from Berlin, and Alex Petan from HC Pustertal. With Ben Cooper, who previously worked as an assistant and associate coach for four years on the Salzburg coaching bench and was partly responsible for Salzburg's last four championship titles, the Slovenians have also hired an ambitious head coach and tactical genius who has gained extensive know-how in the win2day ICE Hockey League during this time.
The results so far – seven wins in ten games – and the current top position in the standings impressively reflect this. Only the recent 6:7 home loss in overtime against the second-to-last team from Innsbruck does not fit the picture.
Personnel situation
The Red Bulls will face Berlin on Friday in Ljubljana with the same lineup as yesterday. This means that the convalescents Ali Wukovits, Peter Hochkofler, Philipp Wimmer, Lukas Hörl, and Michael Raffl, who is on the mend after his lower-body injury last Sunday in Székesfehérvár, will be missing.
Highlights Red Bulls vs. Olimpija Ljubljana | 20.12.24
Statement from Maximilian Kirchebner
"We expect a very good team. The Slovenians know how we play thanks to Ben Cooper, and they play a similar system themselves. But we want to get three points there and carry the momentum from yesterday's game. Play simply, play our game for 60 minutes, and then, I believe, we can beat any opponent."
Red Bulls vs. Olimpija Ljubljana all-time record
Since 2021: 16 games | 12 wins RBS | 4 wins OLL
Last ten games: W W W S S S S N S S S
Last eight away games: N S S S S S N S
win2day ICE Hockey League
Olimpija Ljubljana – EC Red Bull Salzburg
Fri, October 17, 2025 | Ljubljana, 7:15 p.m.
Sporteurope.tv
Next home game of the Red Bulls
On 19 October vs. HC TIWAG Innsbruck "Die Haie"
Eisarena Salzburg | 3 p.m.
CheckerBande Family Day | Sporteurope.tv
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Heavy defeat in Hungary// WIN2DAY ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE
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Red Bulls battle to overtime victory against Vienna// WIN2DAY ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE
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Red Bulls take a point after a tough battle in Linz// WIN2DAY ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE