Sunday, 27. September 2026 |
win2day ICE Hockey League | FTC-Budapest vs. Red Bulls
In a game that was evenly contested for long stretches, five goals—including all three conceded by Salzburg—were scored during power plays. After falling behind early, the Red Bulls quickly recovered and took a 4–2 lead in the second period, a lead they never relinquished. Although the hosts narrowed the gap to 3–4 in the final period, Salzburg ultimately sealed the win with two late empty-net goals from Dennis Robertson and Peter Hochkofler; earlier, Benjamin Nissner, Thomas Raffl, Mario Huber, and Peter Schneider had scored to secure the Red Bulls' first ICE Hockey League victory of the season—and Salzburg's first-ever win in Budapest.
Next Home Game
On 30 September vs. HCB Südtirol Alperia | 7.15 p.m.
Match Summary
The game began with a series of penalties and resulting goals. Rasmus Heljanko capitalized on the hosts' first power-play opportunity, firing the puck into the short-side top corner—finding the narrow gap between the goalpost and goaltender David Kickert’s helmet (5th minute). Two minutes later, Benjamin Nissner scored in a nearly identical fashion on the power play against Budapest goalie Kristóf Nagy (7th minute). Another two minutes after that, Carter Savoie found the net during a 5-on-3 power play to give the home team a 2–1 lead. Play became somewhat disjointed during 5-on-5 action until Salzburg captain Thomas Raffl stepped up; he plucked the puck out of the air at the blue line and, following a solo run, equalized with a backhand shot (17th minute). In the closing stages of the period, Salzburg pushed forward energetically and created dangerous chances, but the score remained 2–2 after 20 minutes.
After the break, the Red Bulls initially dominated proceedings; Adrian Gesson, for instance, tested the goalie with a one-timer from close range (23rd minute). It took about six minutes for the hosts to open up their game. Mario Huber then fired a shot from the slot—mid-height—and scored amidst heavy traffic in front of the net to take a 3–2 lead (28th minute). The game then became more dynamic and emotionally charged, with both teams creating chances and quality shots during the back-and-forth action. The final stretch of the period was particularly intense. During a 2+2 minute power play, the Red Bulls first clipped the post (37th minute) before Peter Schneider extended the lead to 4–2 with a thunderous shot from the left face-off circle (39th minute). That remained the score heading into the intermission, though David Kickert had to make several key saves during another penalty kill and a few other precarious situations prior to that.
In the final period, David Kickert made an incredible save (42nd minute) to deny a powerful one-timer from the Hungarians that could have narrowed the gap. The Salzburg goaltender remained in the spotlight thereafter as the Hungarians—aided by a power play—pushed forward relentlessly. During their next power play, the hosts did manage to pull one back; Topi Rönni fired a shot into the top corner that was unsaveable for the blinded keeper (49th minute). Salzburg held the upper hand during even-strength play, though a breakaway by Ferenc Laskawy (51st minute) nearly resulted in an equalizer—only to be thwarted by Kickert. Both teams had chances during a thrilling closing phase, but Dennis Robertson sealed the win with an empty-net goal (59th minute), and Peter Hochkofler added another empty-netter to set the final score at 6–3 (60th minute).
Statement by Alan Letang
"It feels really good; I’m happy for the guys. They worked hard for this and truly earned it. There were quite a few penalties in the game, but ultimately, we had more staying power and managed to steal the momentum from the Hungarians on several occasions while shorthanded. Overall, it was a great team effort today."
win2day ICE Hockey League
FTC-Telekom Budapest – EC Red Bull Salzburg 3:6 (2:2, 0:2, 1:2)
Goals:
1:0 | 04:56 | Rasmus Heljanko | PP
1:1 | 06:45 | Benjamin Nissner | PP
2:1 | 08:43 | Carter Savoie | PP2
2:2 | 16:11 | Thomas Raffl
2:3 | 27:02 | Mario Huber
2:4 | 38:18 | Peter Schneider | PP
3:4 | 48:57 | Topi Rönni | PP
3:5 | 58:29 | Dennis Robertson | EN
3:6 | 59:25 | Peter Hochkofler | EN
Attendance: 1,248
Next Home Game of the Red Bulls
win2day ICE Hockey League
On 30 September vs. HCB Südtirol Alperia
Eisarena Salzburg | 7.15 p.m.
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