On Sunday evening, HC Bozen clearly won the big South Tyrolean ice hockey derby 7-2 against HC Pustertal – a result that will continue to resonate in both camps.
For Bozen, the victory was a confirmation and an emotional highlight: HCB boss Dieter Knoll emphasized in the dressing room before the start of the game the full commitment of his players, especially the Olympic participants. “No matter how the game ends, I want everyone to give their all,” Knoll told Sportnews. After the game he was visibly satisfied: “I’ll sleep well today.”
Bolzano’s double goalscorer Brad McClure added: “With our third win, no one can take away our number one position in South Tyrol and Italy.” For Pustertal, however, the evening was a bitter experience. Sports director Patrick Bona clearly criticized his team’s performance: “Two thirds were a shame. Fire, fighting spirit and pride were missing. You can’t go into such an important game like that.”
Players like Matthias Mantinger and Cole Bardreau also admitted that the team had failed collectively. Mantinger made it clear: “We are all to blame. We were simply bad today – Bozen skilfully played it down.” Bardreau analyzed: “We didn’t do a single thing right. Everything became a snowball effect, Bolzano really picked up speed and we did nothing to slow it down.”
The clear defeat should now cause reflection at HC Pustertal, while Bozen celebrates the derby victory as an important milestone on the way to the top.
Image: Vanna Antonello
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