Cameron Ginnetti – © Vito De Romeo
Bozen. (PM HCB) With today’s 3:1 success in the Sparkasse Arena, HCB Südtirol Alperia held off a direct opponent with Steinbach Black Wings Linz for the top spots in the table.
A strong first third with two hits from Hults set the stage for the victory early, Ginnetti fared better in the center section and for the rest of the game, the Foxes always kept their opponent in check.
The match. Coach Hanlon lost the injured Di Perna and Glück, Dalhuisen, who was disqualified last time, returned, and entrusted Sam Harvey as starting goalkeeper.
Third strong star for the red and white and earned a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes with two goals from Mitch Hults (MVP of the match). The first came after 39 seconds: Thomas played an accurate pass to Hults in the slot, who was able to choose the corner, the second followed just before the first tea of the interval: this time Frattin passed and Hults shot wide from the circle engagement. Apart from two big chances for Linz, where first Gaffal and then Knott showed up alone in front of the Bolzano area in rapid succession and both were stopped by Harvey with great saves, only the hosts played: McClure hit the crossbar, Kasslatter does not rebound after Culkin’s shot on the opponent’s goal, Valentine tries several times with shots from distance, a dream combination of the Bolzano front line only the crowning shot is missing and Halmo has no luck with a lob from close range .
Bozen At the beginning of the central fraction he continues to attack: Mantenuto plays cross twice for Ginnetti, Höneckl manages to reject the first direct acceptance, the second then slips in with his right foot for a corner. Alberga had further chances for the Talferstadt team on a pass from Frigo, the finish was too weak and McClure, alone in the slot, could not accommodate a sugar pass from Halmo. Then the hosts let in Linz and after a long period of pressure Rappold was able to beat Harvey with a long shot.
In the partial final, the red and whites don’t let themselves burn much and control the match without problems. Bolzano’s goalkeeper wasn’t much contrasted, St-Amant’s few attempts didn’t make him sweat. Despite the slowdown of the home side’s pace, who were saving energy for the next matches, they had a few chances to score the fourth goal: Thomas shot wide from a tight angle, the same fate awaited a cracker from Halmo at full speed, Frigo also failed to counterattack at the easygoing Tor and McClure single-handedly failed in front of Höneckl. In the final minutes, the Foxes skilfully kept the puck in their own ranks, so that Linz only managed to get the sixth player onto the field shortly before the final whistle, but without success.
Frank & Co. return to the Sparkasse Arena for the match against Hydro Fehervar AV19 the day after tomorrow, Sunday 18 December. Play starts at 4pm as part of Marlene’s Family Day.
HCB Südtirol Alperia – Steinbach Black Wings Linz 3:1 (2:0 – 1:1 – 0:0)
Die Tore: 00:39 Mitch Hults (1:0) – 19:45 PP1 Mitch Hults (2:0) – 28:52 Cameron Ginnetti (3:0) – 35:22 Kilian Rappold (3:1)
Referee: Groznik/Ofner – Mantovani/Zgonk
PI: 2:6
Shots on goal: 30:17
Spectators: 2,554
