Ty Loney back on the ice after more than four months
© Sports report
EC Red Bull Salzburg will play the home game against Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey tomorrow, Sunday, in the win2day ICE Hockey League (4:30 p.m., live stream) and will remain undefeated in the new year. It’s a very special game for striker Ty Loney, however, as the American is making a comeback after more than four months out through injury.
Strictly speaking, there are 125 days between the last and only competition game this season on September 1 last year (CHL home game against Stavanger Oilers) and his comeback. In between, the 30-year-old American was repeatedly plagued by the consequences of a concussion. But now Ty Loney (pictured above in the friendly against Bietigheim Steelers on 8/26/22) is fit again and wants to attack again tomorrow against Asiago: “It’s definitely exciting. But most of all, I’m just grateful to be able to help the team and play again.”
The Red Bulls would of course like to give their striker a nice comeback and want their third win of the season against Asiago, the last 3-1 win dates back to October 26th in the Salzburg Eisarena. However, caution is again required against the current eleventh in the table, because as the Red Bulls know from painful experience, the performance against every opponent, regardless of the table position, has to be right if you want to leave the ice as a winner. Yesterday the Italians lost 3:5 in Linz.
But under the impression of the last few games – the Red Bulls have now won five games in a row and have steadily improved despite the sometimes severely depleted squad – the reigning champions also want to write fully against Asiago, says defender Paul Stapelfeldt: “In the last home win against we had to work hard before the goals finally fielded. We need a 100% focus on this team again, the great fighting qualities and two strikers in Giordano Finoro and Allan McShane among the top 10 goalscorers in the league. But if we’re as compact defensively as we were yesterday in Hungary and take advantage of our chances up front, it should be difficult for Asiago here.”
As well as Ty Loney, Aljaž Predan could also return to the team tomorrow, the Slovenian played before Christmas and fell ill afterwards. This means that the Red Bulls would still be missing Troy Bourke, Thomas Raffl, Dominique Heinrich and Peter Hochkofler from convalescence tomorrow.
By the way, there is also a special game for Mario Huber. The striker, who scored again yesterday in Székesfehérvár and is now Salzburg’s fifth-best goalscorer (together with Peter Hochkofler) with eight goals of the season, is playing his 300th ICE game for the Red Bulls. The 26-year-old from Tyrol has been playing in Salzburg since 2017.
win2day ICE Hockey League
EC Red Bull Salzburg – Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey
So, 01/08/2023; Salzburg Ice Arena, 4:30 p.m
Media info Red Bull Salzburg
01/07/2023