The 38-year-old striker single-handedly turned Salzburg’s game against Asiago and prevented the Italians from winning their first point in the Volksgarten.
An almost sold-out house (3012 spectators, including hockey legend Kraig Nienhuis), a good mood (some of them must have come straight from Rupertikirtag) and a nice act at the beginning: champions Red Bull Salzburg pulled the eleventh banner for a championship title (nine times in the league, two times Austrian champion) under their hall roof.
But this became more of a symbolic act than expected: The hosts immediately realized that they could no longer buy anything with the title they had won in so many play-off dramas in the spring. Asiago, who had previously been a reliable and welcome supplier of points in the Volksgarten, started surprisingly boldly and did not hide. This was rewarded 45 seconds before the first break: Alexander Ierulla surprised goalie David Kickert, who was in goal instead of Atte Tolvanen, with a shot from a tight angle – but a goal like that always belongs to the goalkeeper.
While that was still considered a minor flaw, it suddenly became really difficult at the start of the second period: the guests took advantage of a mistake in Salzburg’s build-up play to make it 2-0. And when Ali Wukovits was given a ten-minute disciplinary penalty, Salzburg’s squad became even thinner. Murphy, Genoway, Sinn and Thaler were already out due to illness, and Auer was out after his injury on Friday. And the team will have to get used to the absence of Baltram by the end of the year. Salzburg lost its line and its lines – a 0-3 defeat would have been a blow at that point.
But Salzburg also has its first line for such moments with Thomas Raffl, Benjamin Nissner and Peter Schneider. They once again turned a game that was on the brink. Thomas Raffl to Peter Schneider − and it was 1:2. Four minutes later, Raffl hammered the puck from the blue line into the top corner and over the shoulder of the 1.93 m tall guest keeper Evan Cowley. That was already goal of the year. But the move of the game also came from Raffl: He countered and shook off defender Stefan Marchetti with a check to the back (“That gave me time for the extra step that was necessary”) and played around keeper Cowley − 3:2. After that, the game took its usual course, and Asigao returned empty-handed this time too.
“Today was the difficult game we expected, I knew that beforehand. Even more players are ill, some like Robertson are not at 100 percent. Nevertheless, we found a way to win the game,” said Salzburg coach Oliver David, who also knew who he had to thank. “It was the first line that carried the burden for us today.”
For Raffl, this also has to do with the fact that they have been playing together for a long time. “It is early in the season, many of us still have to find our feet. But our line has been playing together for years, you don’t forget that over the summer. Also a compliment to the young players.”
For guest coach Ron Fogarty, his first league game in Europe as a coach was an experience. “Good show, good game, good fans. I’d rather not imagine that Salzburg were missing six men.”
