Salzburg defeats Capitals in the ICE opening hit 2:1 • NEWS.AT
Defending champions Salzburg defeated the Vienna Capitals 2-1 in front of the home crowd in the opening match of the ICE Hockey League on Friday. Ex-Caps player Peter Schneider scored the winning goal 14 seconds before the end. Record champions KAC stumbled into the new season with a 2:5 loss in Innsbruck. The VSV lost Linz away 1:2. The Pioneers Vorarlberg lost 0:3 in Bolzano. The second league newcomer Asiago, on the other hand, celebrated a 3-2 win at the Graz99ers.
At the beginning of the duel with the Caps, Salzburg clearly determined that this would happen. The Viennese only got into the game better in the middle third. The late first goal was scored in the 41st minute by Salzburg’s new defender Chay Genoway with a long-range shot. Nikolaus Hartl (55th) scored the hard-earned equalizer with a spectacular direct volley.
But Salzburg hit back again. Schneider decided the game after a mistake by Wiener and a one-two with Thomas Raffl just before the end of regular time. The champions are back in action against runners-up Fehervar on Saturday, the Hungarians also started successfully with a 4-1 win in Bruneck.
Without their sick regular goalie Sebastian Dahm, KAC suffered a clear defeat after taking a 1-0 lead from Rok Ticar (2nd) and conceding three goals in the middle third. Innsbruck’s newcomer Daniel Leavens scored twice in the power play. The Klagenfurt team, whose next second goal was scored by Lukas Haudum (44th), will also have to play the seven games away from home due to the renovation of the hall.
The VSV drew the short straw against the Black Wings coached by Philipp Lukas. The goals from Linz were scored by Brian Lebler (1st) and ex-Villacher Andreas Kristler (33rd/PP). For the Carinthian it is only enough for Elias Wallenta to score (45th). Neo-Austrian John Hughes is ill at VSV.