The people of Linz were surprisingly beaten by 1-0 to SG Cortina on Thursday evening. After Linz couldn’t score a single shot on goal in the first half and Cortina took a 1-0 lead through Riccardo Lacedelli in the 34th minute, the Stahlstadters sensed a chance for a sensation. Despite an increase in shots in the final section (9:7), no goal was achieved. It remained 0-1 against the third-placed team, who on Saturday inflicted the first defeat of the season on the previously unbeaten league newcomer from Neumarkt. Steel Wings goalie Leon Sommer ended the game with a catch rate of 96.8 percent.
slump in the final third
Against the current table leader, Jesenice, things were clearer on Saturday evening. Zan Jezovsek gave the visitors the lead in the 11th minute. It looked like it was going to be a tight game again, in which Linz were the better but less efficient team from the 30th minute. Eric Pance put the Steel Wings outnumbered 36 seconds before the second break, but a damper from which the Linzers did not recover in the final third. On the contrary: from the 47th minute to the 56th minute, Linz took four penalties and conceded four goals. Rudolfs Polcs scored 3:0 (50th/pp), Jezovsek 4:0 (51st/pp) and 5:0 (53rd) and Pance 6:0 (56th/pp). The 7:0 by Polcs was again outnumbered (59./sh).
“We weren’t bad in the first two thirds and were able to keep up with Jesenice’s pace of play. You shouldn’t forget that this team is also one of the fastest in the league. The last third was then clearly dominated by the Special teams decided. Jesenice also excels in this. Now it is important to forget this last third very quickly and to prepare for the next game,” said coach Matej Hocevar.
Source: Nachrichten
