A hard piece of work in Graz

2023-10-29 19:49:56

Salzburger Eisbullen won 2-1 at the bottom of the league.

EC Red Bull Salzburg defended its lead in the ICE Hockey League on Sunday. The champions beat the Graz 99ers 2-1 (0-0, 2-1, 0-0) and are still one point ahead of the second-placed Hungarians from Fehérvár.

On paper, a one-sided match was expected. League leaders versus bottom, it mightn’t be clearer. However, the people of Salzburg were warned. On the one hand, they had suffered their first home defeat once morest the Vienna Capitals on Friday, and on the other hand, the last three duels in Graz had all gone to the Styrians.

The Eisbullen started off like a shot, also because following 15 seconds the first Grazer had to go to the penalty box. But there wasn’t more than one shot from the pole in the power play. After five minutes of constant pressure, the home team also started to play a little and keep Salzburg keeper Atte Tolvanen busy. The shot ratio of 17:7 for the Red Bulls spoke for itself in the first third. After the break, Salzburg stayed in control, but the puck just didn’t want to get into the goal. The Graz team used their first power play to take a 1-0 lead through Sam Antonitsch (29th). Five minutes later, Lucas Thaler finally broke Salzburg’s goal spell. Shortly before the break, Chay Genoway completed a remarkable solo with the goal to make it 2-1.

In the final third both goals were nailed down once more. Graz pushed for the equalizer for the last 100 seconds with the advantage and without a goalie, but only hit the bar. “We played well, but we’re just not scoring enough goals at the moment,” admitted Salzburg’s Lucas Thaler.

Graz − Red Bull Salzburg 1:2 (0:0, 1:2, 0:0). Goals: Antonitsch (19th/PP) or Thaler (35th), Genoway (39th). 10 or 8 penalty minutes.

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