In the basic round of the win2day ICE Hockey League, EC Red Bull Salzburg continues today with the away game against EC iDM Heat Pumps VSV (7:15 p.m., live stream).
The Red Bulls have won the two meetings so far this season, but have given up a point each time. In the third comparison, another hot game is expected in the fight for important points in Villach.
Initial situation
The regular season of the ICE Hockey League is already in the final quarter and the battles for position are becoming more intense. This was also the case in the Red Bulls’ next game in Villach. Salzburg is in third place, but is tied on points with the fourth-placed South Tyroleans, who also have one game less. The Red Bulls continue to fight to close the gap to the two best-placed teams Klagenfurt and Graz in order to maintain their chance of early CHL qualification. After the recent defeat in Bruneck, Salzburg want to write again immediately and extend the good performance of the last few weeks.
For Villach it’s about returning to places 7 to 10. Those places that qualify for participation in the pre-playoffs. At the moment, the blue-whites are in 11th place, but are only two points behind the tenth-placed Vienna Capitals with one or two games fewer than the next better-placed teams. In the last few weeks, however, the Villachers have gone through a real downturn, which the new head coach Pierre Allard, appointed on December 1st, has not been able to stop for the time being. In the 13 games under his leadership, the Villach team were only able to win three times, but they showed a strong sign of life again last Sunday in Bolzano with a 5-4 win after overtime.
Top scorers in view
The undisputed number one in the Villach team is Adam Helewka. After stints in Innsbruck (2022/23) and Bolzano (2024/25), the 30-year-old Canadian is also proving to be an accurate ICE striker in Villach and has 17 goals and 16 assists to his name after 33 games. For the Red Bulls, Michael Raffl, who is eagerly awaited for his second appearance with the Salzburg team in his hometown of Villach, is at the top of the team’s internal scorers list. The 37-year-old former NHL striker has 14 goals and 21 assists after 34 games. Peter Schneider and Troy Bourke reported fit again for the third duel of the season with VSV. Ali Wukovits (planned comeback at the end of January) and, at least on Friday, Dennis Robertson (upper body) are not there.
Statement Michael Raffl
“Villach is a very talented team. They have gone through a valley, but have now found a way to get a win and play better ice hockey. Villach are always dangerous up front and create their chances. We have to be very good defensively and stay stable. And score from the front.”
www.redbulls.com, Image: EC Red Bull Salzburg
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