Christian Thomas & Co. look to the future. © Vanna Antonello
The quarter-final series against Black Wings Linz demanded everything from HCB Südtirol Alperia. However, the Hanlon squad does not have much time to recover from the exertion. The semifinals against the Vienna Capitals begin on Friday in the Sparkasse Arena.
March 23, 2023
From: leo
The Bolzano attacking artists around Mitch Hults will be very happy that they will no longer meet the Linz defensive bulwark this season. The Vienna Capitals should – also due to the larger individual class – be more offensive. They showed in the quarterfinals that they can still defend excellently: There they kept the Innsbrucker Haie, the most accurate team in the league, in check: The Caps only conceded 14 goals in six games, eight of which came in the first two games. After that, Alex Wall & Co. found the right recipe to defuse Innsbruck’s offensive power.
It is unclear whether the Capitals will also succeed against HCB. In the four season duels, the Viennese caught 18 goals. Since then, however, Dave Barr’s team has gained stability. “We are two teams that have the same game,” says Andreas Bernard and warns against the first two lines of the Viennese. “They’ve been playing extremely well all season.” Sam Harvey agrees: “They have very good players in their ranks.” According to Bernard, the special teams play an even more important role. “You will be decisive. So it is important to avoid stupid penalties.”
Outstanding lone striker
“It’s going to be a tough series,” says Caps striker Jérémy Grégoire. “They have everything: a good attack, a good defense and strong goalkeepers. It will be difficult, but we will be ready.”
HCB must pay particular attention to Maxwell Zimmer and Matt Bradley, who lead the scorer list in the playoffs with ten points each in six games. The foxes, on the other hand, can count on Sam Harvey in top form: The 24-year-old has an unbelievable catch rate of 94.8 percent. In any case, the duel contains all the ingredients for the fans to see a high-quality game on Friday (7.45 p.m.).
ICE Hockey League, Halbfinale:
Friday, March 24th:
Red Bull Salzburg – EC KAC (7.30 p.m.)
HC Bolzano – Vienna Capitals (7.45 p.m.)
