The sporting destiny of Val Pusteria will be decided on Sunday in Czech soil.
(mg) For the fourth time this season, Vienna gets away with Val Pusteria, winning, also on this occasion, a well-played match by the Helminen patrol, especially in the last forty minutes. The formation of Vienna always playing behind, even tonight, left little space for the Wolves, managing to put them in difficulty with insightful restart actions.
Val Pusteria played with the usual formation, with the only exception of the line exchange between Raphael Andergassen and Matthias Mantinger. So it happens that the first goes to block with Budish and Ikonen in the second line and that the other makes the trio with Ivan Deluca and Berger.
In the second drittel the Val Pusteria descends on the ice with a greater “spiritus pugnandi” and, also helped by a warm cheering, the yellow blacks push a lot in the parts of Starkbaum. At 29:44, the hosts, even the opportunity to re-start the race too early, with Max Gerlach, frustrated by a somewhat hasty conclusion. Then, at 32:19, in the counter-escape, the Val Pusteria wastes a gluttonous opportunity with Bardaro who seats the goalkeeper and, sensationally, fails to frame the door. The Vienna in restart action has (36:00) with Nikolai Meier, the puck to close the game, but the attacker served, in the slot, cincischia and gets the puck recovered from the Pusterese defense.
In the third drittel, after so many mistakes in the final seat, finally, the Val Pusteria, finds the goal with an acute of the third line. The goal was born from an action in speed that starts from Hannoun continues up to Gerlach and is finished by Jakob Stukel. It seems the prelude to a comeback that would not be completely undeserved but the Val Pusteria soon after, wastes a situation of power play. With Sasha Bauer on the bench of the punished, in fact, the Wolves are unable to sting the defense of Vienna. However, the inertia of the match has changed and at 49:17, the deserved draw arrives. The goal arose from a play behind Johann Harju’s goal that prompted Greg Carey to score behind Starkbaum. Shortly after, a “naive” high cue from Hannoun “gives” the power play to Vienna which, in similar situations, is confirmed as truly relentless. The goal, of the new guest advantage, comes on the shot of Nicolai Meyer, and the scorer is the Canadian James Sheppard, good at exploiting the rebound. The Val Pusteria like tarantolato, resumes to press the third defensive of the Viennese but in the counter-escape, just sixty seconds later, he suffers the fourth goal. The action is born on the Nicolai Meyer-Matt Bradley axis. With the first bring forward the puck and the second to finish in goal. The Val Pusteria in the last two minutes removes the goalkeeper to try to recover the result, with the extra player, but the move beyond only obtained the result of enhancing (every limit) the victory of the Viennnesi who, on the umpteenth restart action, with an empty net, they also sign 5: 2.
The team from Brunico, with this defeat, slips to sixth place, the last useful to gain direct access to the Play-Offs. On Sunday in Znojmo (starting at 17:30) there will be the game of truth for the Wolves. If the Val Pusteria, in fact, manages to get at least one point, they will be able to maintain, together with a certain advantage over the Czech team, also the sixth place and direct access to the Play-Offs. In case of defeat, the doors of the “Best of Three” Pre Play-Offs will open for the Wolves with the possibility of meeting the cousins of Bolzano immediately.
Friday 25.02.22 at 7.15 pm – Intercable Arena of Brunico. Spectators: 1862
HC Lupi Pusteria / Val Pusteria Wölfe – spusu Vienna Capitals 2 – 5 (0: 2, 0: 0, 2: 3)
HC Val Pusteria: Sholl (Stoll); Hanna-Willcox, Caruso-Kristensen, Althuber-Glira, Hofer; Carey-Harju-Bardaro, Icons-Andergassen-Budish, Stukel-Hannoun-Gerlach; Ivan Deluca-Berger-Mantinger; Stefano Deluca.
PUS HEAD COACH: Raimo Helminen.
Capitals of Vienna: Starkbaum (Kicker); Wall-Lakos, Hackl-Prapavessis, Karlsson-Fischer, Dodero; Meyer-Sheppard-Bradley, Lowry-Neal-Hartl, Antal-Kromp-Schwinger, Bauer-Moncada-Preiser, Artner.
HEAD COACH VIC Dave Barr.
1st Referee: Manuel Nikolic; 2nd Referee Christian Ofner – Line Judges: Nicola Basso, Ulrich Pardatscher
MARKERS: 03:58 0: 1 VIC Nikolaus Hartl (Joel Lowry – Matthew Prapavessis); 14:26 0: 2 PP1 VIC Joel Lowry (Alex Wall – James Sheppard); 41:40 1: 2 PUS Jakob Stukel (Max Gerlach – Dante Hannoun); 49:17 2: 2 PUS Greg Carey (Johan Harju); 51:44 2: 3 PP1 VIC James Sheppard (Nicolai Meyer – Alex Wall); 52:44 2: 4 VIC Matt Bradley (Nicolai Meyer); 57:42 2: 5 EN VIC Nikolaus Hartl (Matthew Neal)
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