Thursday, 12. February 2026 |
ÖM | Game 1 | EKZ vs RBJ
In the clash between the two best Austrian teams, the Juniors had the upper hand in the opening minutes and dominated the first period. However, Zell am See scored the first goal of the game in the final minute of the first period. In the second period, Luca Auer equalized after just 45 seconds, and Adrian Gesson put the Red Bulls ahead midway through the second period. In the final period, Zell am See responded promptly with another equalizer after just 17 seconds and even took the lead before Florian Lanzinger was able to take advantage of a late power play to make it 3-3.
Austrian Championship Final | Game 2
Red Bull Hockey Juniors vs. EK Die Zeller Eisbären
February 14, 2026 | 7:15 p.m. | Eisarena Salzburg
Game report
The Red Bull Hockey Juniors got off to a strong start in the first of two matches in the Austrian championship final. The Juniors' first chances were saved by Zell am See goalkeeper Alexander Schmidt, with the young Salzburg team pushing forward at high speed. The Red Bulls dominated the early minutes of this fast-paced and physical game. Luca Kogler shot wide after a long pass across the home team's goal (5th minute), and Paul Oberhauser narrowly missed Paul Schuster's cross (7th minute). Gradually, the Eisbären also got into the game better, but the home team failed to produce any major offensive action for the time being. Paul Reiner tried his luck for the Eisbären from a tight angle (11th minute), then Zell had their first power play opportunity. The Juniors survived unscathed thanks to good positioning and gave the Eisbären few chances to score. Back at full strength, the game became more physical and much more evenly balanced. This resulted in hard checks and many changes of direction. Zell am See was now putting on a little more pressure, but Juniors goalie Luca Haitzmann kept them at bay with some strong saves. In the 20th minute, the Eisbären laid siege to Haitzmann's goal, and Philip Putnik finally pushed the puck over the line after several rebounds to make it 0-1.
The Juniors opened the second period with an equalizer after just 45 seconds (21st minute). Luca Auer deflected Fabian Baumann's shot past Zell am See goalkeeper Schmidt to make it 1-1. The Eisbären reacted immediately and responded with a period of pressure in the visitors' third. Several shots forced Haitzmann to make further saves, but he put in a strong performance. The Juniors worked their way back and now had their first power play opportunity, but initially had difficulty finding their footing in the attacking third due to the home team's strong defensive play. It was only towards the end of the power play that chances arose, but the score remained 1-1. Back at full strength, it was Paul Schuster who broke through behind the Eisbären goal and found captain Adrian Gesson in the slot. Gesson shot the Juniors into a 2-1 lead in the 29th minute. The Red Bulls had another power play, but this time the Juniors managed to set up their formation and tested the Zell goalie with several shots. Back at full strength, the home team briefly went on the offensive again, but the Red Bulls held their ground and became dangerous themselves. Alternating periods of pressure now dominated the game. Shortly before the end of the period, the young Salzburg team gained another power play, but had to accept a counter penalty during the power play.
In the final period, the home team took advantage of their numerical superiority and tied the game again after just 17 seconds (41st) through Tim Coffman, who converted his own rebound. The Eisbären were now looking extremely dangerous and gained momentum from the early goal. The Juniors created chances in offense, but at the other end, Blaz Tomazevic claimed the puck in the corner and found Paul Reiner, who was unmarked and scored to make it 2-3 in the 47th minute. The Juniors immediately pushed for the equalizer. Zell-am-See goalie Schmidt made a last-ditch save, but the puck refused to cross the goal line. The open exchange of blows continued across the ice, with both teams creating chances. In the 50th minute, Nicklas Huard turned on the turbo and went on a breakaway, but shot wide of the Juniors' goal. Both teams continued to test the goalies. The Juniors took advantage of a late power play and established themselves in the offensive zone. After a long period of pressure with many shots on goal, it was finally Florian Lanzinger who converted Jesse Juhola's pass in the 58th minute to make it 3-3. This means that both teams will go into the final showdown for the Austrian championship on Saturday, February 14, 2026, with a 3-3 tie.
Statement: after the first final game of the Austrian championship
Captain Adrian Gesson
"The 3-3 draw is the perfect starting point. We'll continue with a 0-0 score in Salzburg; it's a new game and we have to get off to a good start there again, but it's going to be really exciting. We now have to make sure we recover well, and then it will be a really tough battle on Saturday. Today we played well as a team, blocked shots, and fought until the end. We got off to a good start today, but we slackened off a bit towards the end of the second period and at the start of the third. However, we came back strongly and managed to make it 3-3."
Austrian Championship Final | Game 1
EK Die Zeller Eisbären – Red Bull Hockey Juniors 3-3 (1-0, 0-2, 2-1)
Goals
1:0 | 19:15 | Philip Putnik
1:1 | 20:45 | Luca Auer
1:2 | 28:38 | Adrian Gesson
2:2 | 40:17 | Tim Coffman | PP
3:2 | 46:29 | Paul Reiner
3:3 | 57:27 | Florian Lanzinger | PP
Mit Video
Juniors keep their cool in the finish// JUNIORS
Juniors off to a sobering start in the Master Round// JUNIORS
Red Bull Hockey Juniors beenden Grunddurchgang an der Tabellenspitze// JUNIORS