After the Linzers achieved their second away win in Vorarlberg on Sunday, the Upper Austrians are heading abroad again. Tomorrow, Friday, Brian Lebler and Co. will face the reigning champions from Salzburg.
After four days without a game, the Steinbach Black Wings travel to Salzburg tomorrow for a difficult away game. In the first duel of the current season, the Upper Austrians won 3-2 at home in overtime. Since then, the four-time champion has also struggled with a mixed start. The Eisbullen are in seventh place in the table with 28 points, directly ahead of the Upper Austrians. The Mozartstadt team celebrated nine wins in 18 games, but have struggled so far, especially against the top six opponents. What is striking is the number of penalties that the Red Bulls have received so far. Head coach Manny Viveiros’ team has already had to serve 237 penalty minutes, more than any other team in the win2day ICE hockey League.
Despite these many penalty minutes, the red bulls show strong penalty killing and impress with a value of 81.25%. Things went better for the league Croesus in the Champions Hockey League. Just last night, Salzburg defeated ERC Ingolstadt 4:3, but did not make it into the quarter-finals due to the 2:6 defeat in the first leg. This means that tomorrow’s hosts’ full focus will once again be on the domestic championship and, as with Linz, on gaining ground on the top teams as quickly as possible. The Salzburg Ice Arena has always been a tough place for the Stahlstadt team in recent seasons. Last season, the Upper Austrians were never able to gain anything of note against the Bulls away from home. The Stahlstadters achieved their last victory in Salzburg on November 27th, 2022.
Locker room update
With their second away win of this season, the Upper Austrians improved their terrible record last Sunday. After an improved start, Thomas Höneckl and Co. fought their way through a strenuous final section and got the three points over time. After three intense games within five days, head coach Philipp Lukas’ team recharged their batteries. Nevertheless, there were some worries about personnel on the Lower Donaulände again. In addition to Luka Maver’s long-term absence, Greg Moro also complained of minor discomfort after a heavy check in Feldkirch. The defender will therefore not be deployed tomorrow for safety reasons. Luis Lindner celebrated his return after a two-month break and Patrick Söllinger and Aljaz Predan, who were missing due to illness, are also back on board. In goal, Rasmus Tirronen will lead his team onto the ice.
Fan trip to Salzburg
The Linz fans will also be creating a great atmosphere in Salzburg tomorrow and cheering on the boys. There are still a few free seats on the Powerplay Enns fan bus; registration for the away trip is done via the fan club itself.
Two days after the tough game in Salzburg, Brian Lebler and Co. return to the Linz AG Eisarena on the third family Sunday. In the home game, the Linzers challenge the green dragons from Laibach. The following Wednesday, HCB Südtirol will be visiting the Lower Donaulände. Tickets for the two home games are available online at tickets.blackwings.at and at the box office.
Voices:
Head coach Philipp Lukas: “It is bitter that we have lost Luka Maver for a long time because he is an important pillar in our line-up. But it will not be the last loss and we have to make sure that we compensate for this as best as possible. Salzburg is certainly a hall in which we have not had much success in recent years and that is the challenge tomorrow. We know who Salzburg is, they are a team that has great depth and quality through their line-up and we will be one tomorrow We need a top team performance if we want to get points there.”
Luis Lindner: “Salzburg plays fast, aggressively, they come hard and I think we have to take advantage of that by hitting back quickly. It will be tight, Salzburg is always difficult to play against and it will definitely be a good game.”
EC Red Bull Salzburg – Steinbach Black Wings Linz
📅 Basic round 21: Friday November 21st, 7:15 p.m., Salzburg Eisarena
📺 Live stream: sporteurope.tv
blackwings.at , Image: Heiko Mandl – EC Red Bull Salzburg
