KAC defeats Red Bull Salzburg in the final of the ICE Juniors League
© Sports report
The EC-KAC is again champion of the ICE Juniors League (U18). The Red Jackets face the Red Bull in an exciting series of finals Ice Hockey Academy through with 3:1 victories. On Sunday, the Klagenfurt team clinched their third and decisive success with a 5-2 home win and thus their second title in a row.
Salzburg went into the playoffs as the winner of the championship round, followed closely by EC-KAC in second place. Both teams lived up to their role as favorites in the quarter- and semi-finals and made it to the final. The Red Bulls thus had the home field advantage, but the Carinthians prevailed in four direct out of five duels of the regular season.
The Klagenfurt team also got off to a better start in the first final game. They won game one in Salzburg 3-0. In the second game, which also took place in the city of Mozart, the hosts were able to beat back 6:4. After that, the “Best-of-Five” series moved to Klagenfurt. Thanks to a narrow 1-0 win, the hosts secured the first match puck on Saturday, which they promptly converted on Sunday.
In the middle section, KAC set the course for victory
In the 5:2 win, the Rotjacken started the game better and took the lead in the 13th minute with a double advantage. The guests from Salzburg were able to equalize in the first third, also with two more players on the ice. In the middle section, however, KAC clearly set the tone and pulled away to 4:1. The Red Bulls tried everything again in the last 20 minutes of the game, were even able to reduce the deficit to 2:4 and only a little later had a great chance to make it 3:4. But as so often in this series of finals, KAC goalkeeper Patrick Müller could not be beaten. When four minutes before the end of the game Jakob Lippitsch made it 5:2, the game was finally decided in favor of the Carinthians.
KAC captain Tobias Piuk right after the end of the game: “It’s hard to put into words what we achieved today. After the series started in Salzburg, we wouldn’t have thought of winning in four games. Winning the championship here in front of a home crowd, what could be nicer.”
ICE Juniors League, Final 4:
Sun, 03/20/2022: EC-KAC – EC Red Bull Salzburg 5: 2 (1: 1, 3: 0, 1: 1)
Final score in the “Best-of-Five” series 3:1
Media info win2day ICE Hockey League
03/20/2022