Game Summary
Without Lukas Hörl and Philipp Wimmer, who were injured in the last game, as well as Tyler Lewington (suspended) and Peter Hochkofler (season over), but with Travis St. Denis, Niki Kraus, and Red Bull Hockey Juniors Alexander Rebernig and Fabian Baumann back in the lineup, the Red Bulls found themselves facing an early deficit. Austin Rueschhoff's powerful one-timer from the mid-slot into the top corner gave the visitors a quick lead (2nd minute). During the ensuing power play, Thomas Raffl's shot went just wide (4th minute), and Brandon Coe's effort also narrowly missed the target (9th minute). Salzburg pressed forward but couldn't beat Pustertal's goalie Edward Pasquale, even on two further power plays. With 1:14 remaining in the period, the puck broke, and the teams left the ice. Up to that point, the Red Bulls had dominated possession but lacked clear-cut scoring chances. Pustertal led 1-0.
In the second period, including overtime from the first, Salzburg's play became more dominant, and they created more scoring opportunities in front of the Pustertal net. Salzburg's goaltender, Atte Tolvanen, who hadn't been tested for long, made a crucial save on a double chance for the visitors (27th minute). Then, however, Pustertal found their rhythm and pressed forward with dangerous shots. The game became end-to-end, and on a counterattack, Travis St. Denis fired a powerful shot from the face-off circle just over the net (32nd minute). Ali Wukovits missed the puck after a cross-ice pass, alone at the far post (34th minute). And again, the Red Bulls had several scoring chances and, apart from Raphael Andergassen's breakaway (36th minute), were now almost overwhelming in the closing stages. But the puck just wouldn't go in, and Pustertal maintained their 1-0 lead.
At the start of the final period, the game was played primarily in Pustertal's defensive zone. The Red Bulls circled the puck, shot, and Pasquale made the saves. Patience was key, and Cole Krygier had it, scoring in his second game for the Red Bulls. The defenseman calmly slotted the puck into the top corner from close range to tie the game 1-1 (45th minute). Shortly after, Michael Raffl missed a hard cross-ice pass right in front of the net during a power play (50th minute). The intense final minutes saw the game go back and forth, with the Red Bulls having a slight edge offensively. But the decisive goal wouldn't come until overtime. Travis St. Denis, in his comeback game, was on hand after a rebound to secure the hard-earned extra point for his team.
