It could be guessed that this duel will not be a torch-lit procession, since the first 8-10 teams in the ICEHL are not separated by much in terms of knowledge. Looking at the quarter-final duels, it was perhaps a bit of a surprise that Bolzano advanced a bit easier against Villach, while Salzburg advanced 4-1 against Linz. Klagenfurt, which won the regular season, also managed to finish the series in only five matches. Volán’s duel lasts the longest, as the sides did not reach a draw in six games, everyone brought the matches at home, hopefully this pattern will not be broken on Saturday either, since then it would mean that Hydro Fehérvár AV19 will say goodbye to Pustertal Wölfe’s guard and enter into the top four.
– I don’t think there has ever been a seventh game in the playoffs in the club’s history. This is also a novelty, which of course we want to successfully tick off. We must remain calm, do our things well, and strive to minimize mistakes. We have to position ourselves on the ice in such a way that we can close back quickly and limit their shot options on goal. What I mean by this is that we have to defend selflessly and always be on the defensive side when we want to shoot, we have to clear in front of the goal. It will be a real playoff atmosphere and we have to do it. Each team will want to get an early lead, I don’t think there will be many fumbles at the beginning of the match, everyone will want to be at their best in attack. From then on, you will have to manage well. At home, we want to start with good energy with the encouragement of our fans. I feel that Pustertal tends to get tired in the third period, unfortunately that’s when we usually start playing and come back from a deficit – said Dávid Kiss, head coach of Hydro Fehérvár AV19, to the club’s website.
One thing is for sure, there is a huge interest in the match, as the seated and VIP tickets were already sold out by Saturday morning, but more than seventy percent of the standing tickets were also sold. You can expect the Pustertal Wölfe band to be a true Devil.
“We have to win somehow.” Throughout the season, we fought to finish as far as possible and to be able to enjoy the home field advantage in such situations. Now is the time to do the right thing and end this streak. At home, our fans are behind us. They give a lot of energy and everything is given to get off to a good start. Also, our fans can absorb the energy of the opposition, so we hope that will be the case and we can take advantage of their long journey and spoil them early in the game, said Josh Atkinson.
