Saturday, 24. October 2026 |
AlpsHL | Regular Season | RBJ vs. HCU | 3:5
The visitors took a three-goal lead in the first period before Niklas Korhonen cut the deficit to 1-3 for the Red Bulls. After falling behind 1-4 in the second period, Luca Fischer and Benedikt Krainer brought the Juniors back to 3-4 in the final period. In the last minute of the game, Moritz Kaufmann sealed the final score at 3-5 with his goal. This marks the Juniors’ first loss under Head Coach Antti Aarnio.
Next Game
Red Bull Hockey Juniors vs. HC Meran/o Pircher
Thu., October 29, 2026 | 7:15 p.m. | Eisarena Salzburg
Livestream | Tickets available at the box office
Game Report
The Red Bulls got off to a rough start. Just two minutes into the game, a pass attempt by Gabriel Zerbetto was deflected and found its way into the Juniors’ net, making the score 0–1. Shortly afterward, the home team found themselves playing shorthanded for the first time, but they weathered the storm unscathed and then tried to get back into the game. The Juniors had their first scoring chances, but Unterland struck again: Villi Pisetta extended the lead to 0–2 (9th minute) after assists from Hugo Engelaar and Miiro Linjala. The visitors were now spending more time in the Salzburg zone, and Matthias Bonazzo made it 0–3 (13th minute). The Red Bulls, however, refused to give up. Lukas Greil was initially denied on a breakaway (14th minute), before Niklas Korhonen cut the lead to 1–3 (15th minute) after passes from Isak Norlin and Benedikt Krainer.
The Juniors opened the second period with a flurry of pressure and repeatedly looked to score, but Unterland defended tightly. After that, a physical and open back-and-forth battle ensued. The Red Bulls had two power-play opportunities and created some good chances, but couldn’t find a way past Cavaliers goaltender Manuel Bampi. The Salzburg team also weathered another penalty kill unscathed. In the 38th minute, Unterland finally capitalized on a quick counterattack, with Hugo Engelaar scoring off a pass from Miiro Linjala to make it 1–4.
Just 39 seconds after the restart, Luca Fischer got the final period off to a perfect start, cutting the deficit to 2–4 (41') after assists from Tobias Koller and Isak Norlin. Shortly afterward, the Juniors had to defend while shorthanded once again, but managed to keep the opposing team from scoring. The Red Bulls then turned up the pressure. Paul Oberhauser tried his luck after a solo run (49th minute), Matteo Schroth took a shot from distance (50th minute), and Florian Lanzinger also had another chance. The Juniors now threw everything forward and were rewarded: Benedikt Krainer scored off passes from Lanzinger and Schroth to make it 3–4 (58th minute). Salzburg then called a timeout and briefly played with an extra skater, but Unterland defended its narrow lead. Moritz Kaufmann scored in the final minute of the game (60th minute) to make the final score 3–5.
Statement by Forward Niklas Korhonen
“We didn’t get off to a good start today and didn’t execute the simple things consistently enough. When you’re down by three goals so early in the first period, it’s naturally difficult to make a comeback. After that, though, we got into the game better and played strongly, especially in the second period and for long stretches of the third. We need to capitalize on our scoring chances even more consistently and put the puck in the net. We have to keep working on that. No opponent in this league is too strong for us, but today we simply weren’t as good as we can be. The new coaching staff has brought a breath of fresh air, and the team has embraced the changes very well. That certainly wasn’t the problem today.”
Alps Hockey League | Regular Season
Red Bull Hockey Juniors – Hockey Unterland Cavaliers 3:5 (1:3, 0:1, 2:1)
Goals
0:1 | 01:28 | Gabriel Zerbetto
0:2 | 08:02 | Villi Pisetta
0:3 | 12:03 | Matthias Bonazzo
1:3 | 14:29 | Niklas Korhonen
1:4 | 37:38 | Hugo Engelaar
2:4 | 40:39 | Luca Fischer
3:4 | 57:14 | Benedikt Krainer
3:5 | 59:19 | Moritz Kaufmann
Red Bull Hockey Juniors Win in a Shootout Against the current Champions// JUNIORS
Red Bull Hockey Juniors Defeat Jesenice 4-2// JUNIORS
Antti Aarnio Named New Head Coach of the Red Bull Hockey Juniors// JUNIORS