Sunday, 01. March 2026 |
Red Bulls vs. HC TIWAG Innsbruck | Wings for Life-Spiel
The Red Bulls dominated the game against the bottom-ranked team and had the Tyroleans largely under control, although the Innsbruck team's tenacious defense prevented a heavier defeat. With this win, the Red Bulls are ready for the playoffs. The first quarterfinal game is on March 10 at the Salzburg Ice Arena. Their quarterfinal opponent will be determined after the pre-playoffs and subsequent playoff selection.
Statements Manny Viveiros & Lukas Schreier
Game Summary
The Red Bulls had the first big chance of the game, with Lucas Thaler shooting over Innsbruck's goalie Matthew Vernon's net on a 2-on-1 break (3rd minute). Peter Schneider then made a mistake right in front of the goalie (5th minute). The game became increasingly one-sided, with Salzburg increasing their shooting rate. Then Tyler Lewington, in his comeback game after a 5-game suspension, fired a shot from the blue line to give Salzburg the lead (10th minute). The Innsbruck goalie made several more excellent saves, but couldn't stop Michael Raffl's sharp wrist shot (14th minute). In the final minutes, Salzburg's goalie David Kickert was called back into action and played flawlessly while shorthanded. Innsbruck pressed forward more, but couldn't threaten the Red Bulls' 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
In the second period, the visitors played more aggressively on the attack, but could do little to diminish Salzburg's dominance. From the 30th minute onward, the Tyroleans could barely get out of their zone. Matthew Vernon was the focal point, preventing Salzburg from scoring a third goal for a long time. Dennis Robertson finally buried his wrist shot from the slot to give Salzburg a 3-0 lead (37th minute), after the visitors had occasionally launched some dangerous attacks on the Salzburg net. In the end, the Red Bulls turned up the heat again, but once more found themselves thwarted by the strong visiting goalie.
Salzburg didn't let anything slip in the final period either, remaining composed even while shorthanded. Thomas Raffl even had a good scoring chance after a breakaway (45th minute). But the Red Bulls had to fight hard for another goal, as Innsbruck put up a fierce resistance in their final game of the season and continued to benefit from their goalie's strong performance. And then it happened. During a fierce attack by the visitors, Sebastian Benker deflected the puck in front of David Kickert, narrowing the gap to 1-3 (52nd minute). The Red Bulls increased the pressure once again, pinning the visitors back. Thomas Raffl finally sealed the well-deserved 4-1 victory with an empty-net goal (59th minute), after the visitors had briefly created some excitement in front of the Salzburg net.
Highlights Red Bulls vs. HC TIWAG Innsbruck
Statement by Lukas Schreier
"It's never easy to play against Innsbruck. But we played well today and overall achieved what we wanted. We can now go into the playoffs with a good feeling. We made good use of the league break and trained extremely hard. We feel good physically, still have another week to prepare, and are very ready for the playoffs."
win2day ICE Hockey League
EC Red Bull Salzburg – HC TIWAG Innsbruck 4:1 (2:0, 1:0, 1:1)
Goals:
1:0 | 09:34 | Tyler Lewington
2:0 | 14:00 | Michael Raffl
3:0 | 36:01 | Dennis Robertson
3:1 | 51:58 | Sebastian Benker
4:1 | 58:35 | Thomas Raffl | EN
Attendance: 3,194
Playoff Quarterfinals
The Red Bulls enter the playoffs in third place and will begin the quarterfinal series (best of seven) with a home game. Their opponent will be determined after the pre-playoffs (March 4–8) and the subsequent playoff pick.
Playoff Quarterfinals | Game Dates | Opponent TBD
1 | Tue, 10.03.26 | EC Red Bull Salzburg – TBD | 7.15 p.m.
2 | Thu, 12.03.26 | TBD – EC Red Bull Salzburg
3 | Sat, 14.03.26 | EC Red Bull Salzburg – TBD
4 | Tue, 17.03.26 | TBD – EC Red Bull Salzburg
5* | Thu, 19.03.26 | EC Red Bull Salzburg – TBD
6* | Sat, 21.03.26 | TBD – EC Red Bull Salzburg
7* | Wed, 25.03.26 | EC Red Bull Salzburg – TBD
Mit Galerie
Game against Innsbruck on March 1st will once again be dedicated to Wings for Life// WINGS FOR LIFE GAME DAY
Mit Video
"Pressure is a privilege"// PLAYER INTERVIEW
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Red Bulls Celebrate Hard-Fought Victory Against Pustertal// WIN2DAY ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE