It was not meant to be. Two weeks after the 2:5 defeat against the reigning ice hockey champion Salzburg, the Steinbach Black Wings in the Linz-AG-Eisarena didn’t get anything countable against “runner-up” Fehervar.
In a hard-fought duel, Linz lost almost 1-0 (0-0, 0-0, 0-1). Incidentally, in front of 2,612 eyewitnesses, that was around 1,000 fewer than in the showdown with the “Red Bulls” from Mozart’s city.
Well, the Hungarians don’t have that much traction, even though they let the puck run fairly well in their ranks.
The Upper Austrians felt that as the game progressed. The EHC had started strongly and found a top chance through Andreas Kristler in the first third, but the “Red Devils” then picked up speed and left the ice as a not undeserved winner.
Strong goalkeeper performances
It was the second home loss in a row for the Black Wings, but no reason to bury your head in the sand. Defender Daine Todd and striker Dennis Sticha’s comeback didn’t lack commitment, but they did lack target water.
The focus was on the compact defensive lines and the strong goalkeepers, the Finn Rasmus Tirronen defused 26 of 27 shots in the Linz goal against his former employer.
The 32-year-old was powerless for the only goal, which came from close range after exactly 54 minutes and twelve seconds and was scored by Fehervar center Istvan Bartalis.
Tirronen’s opponent Olivier Roy was on the ball for all 21 attempts by the Black Wings, so the French Canadian celebrated a so-called shutout in this extremely fair game (only six penalties in total).
The Villacher SV has a high
Now is the time to roll up your sleeves and get back on your feet. Already on Sunday (4.30 p.m., live ticker on nachrichten.at) Linzer are guests at Villacher SV, which they brought down 2-1 at home in the first round.
Coached by former Black Wings master maker Rob Daum, the Adler are expected with a healthy dose of confidence. The Carinthians came out of the international break with home wins against two of the top three teams. After the 6:3 against Bozen there was a 4:3 against Innsbruck. The VSV is currently fifth in the table and is breathing down the neck of the EHC.
What else happened? Record champions KAC beat Pustertal’s “Wolves” 5-2, Salzburg outclassed Pioneers Vorarlberg 6-1, Olimpija Ljubljana beat Graz 99ers 5-2.
The Steel Wings rear up
The Steel Wings, (still) at the bottom of the Alps Hockey League, reported higher demands with their second full success en suite. With the return of Marc-Andre Dorion, who had previously helped out one floor up with the Black Wings for weeks, the Linzers got the upper hand at the second KAC team 2-1. Eimantas Noreika (33rd) and Kilian Rappold (54th) scored.
It goes uphill and on Sunday (5.30 p.m.) to Cortina.
Source: Nachrichten
