In the last game before the international break next week, EC Red Bull Salzburg in the win2day ICE Hockey League will welcome the Slovenian league representative Olimpija Ljubljana in the Eisarena Salzburg tomorrow, Friday (7:15 p.m., Sporteurope.tv).
The Red Bulls lost the first meeting in Ljubljana and now want to take revenge in their first home game against the second-place team, where Salzburg’s former associate coach Ben Cooper has been in charge since this season.
Initial situation
The defending champion is still looking for consistency and has had to compensate for several injury-related absences for weeks (Ali Wukovits, Peter Hochkofler, Philipp Wimmer, Devante Stephens and Lukas Schreier are still missing). After some ups and downs, the Red Bulls seemed to have given themselves some freedom with the 7-2 home win against Budapest a week ago, but they then lost to league leaders Pustertal with bad luck in the final phase, at least in a match at eye level.
In yesterday’s defeat at the bottom of the table in Feldkirch (2:3 OT), more could definitely have been achieved, even if the Vorarlbergers found their way into their home game better and better after being 2-0 down and ultimately bought the edge from the Red Bulls. Salzburg continues to hold fifth place in the table, but has already played one or two games more than its immediate neighbors with the same points.
After yesterday’s setback in Vorarlberg, the Red Bulls want to consolidate quickly and take on the fight against Olimpija Ljubljana. You now know each other after the first game in which the Red Bulls lost 3-4 in extra time in Ljubljana almost two weeks ago. Since then, the second-placed team from Slovenia have also won three more games; yesterday they underlined their offensive power with a 7-4 away win in Budapest.
Strongest offense in the league
With 73 goals scored so far, Ljubljana is by far the strongest offensive team in the league. The Red Bulls (6th) have scored 46 goals. Not surprisingly: With Nicolai Meyer (1st), TJ Brennan (3rd) and Zach Boychuk (6th), the Slovenians have three players among the top six top scorers in the entire league. Salzburg’s top scorer Michael Raffl (back tomorrow) is currently eleventh in the league standings.
Reunion with old acquaintances
For three players and coaches from Ljubljana, the game in Salzburg will be an emotional return. Ben Cooper celebrated four championship titles with the Red Bulls as part of the coaching team and is now coming to Salzburg for the first time as the Slovenians’ new head coach after moving in the summer. The 32-year-old Danish striker and current team top scorer with eleven goals, Nicolai Meyer, won the championship title with the Red Bulls in 2023 and 2024. The championship season with the now 36-year-old American TJ Brennan is a little further back; In 2021/22, as one of the top scorers in the league at the time, the defender played a major role in Salzburg’s first championship title after five years without a trophy.
Statement by Benjamin Nissner
“Yesterday we partially strayed from the system and were swimming in the defensive zone. That definitely has to change. It starts with the attitude, everyone has to be ready to play. We have to attack together again! The mentality has to be that we take ourselves by the nose and do our thing again.”
All-time record Red Bulls vs. Olimpija Ljubljana
Since 2021: 17 games | 12 wins RBS | 5 wins OLL
Last ten games: SSSSSNSSSN
Last eight home games: NNSSSSS
win2day ICE Hockey League
EC Red Bull Salzburg – Olimpija Ljubljana
Fri, October 31, 2025 | Salzburg Ice Arena, 7:15 p.m
ecrbs.redbulls.com , Image: EC Red Bull Salzburg
