After the semi-final elimination in the IHL Serie A the Rittner Buam will return to the Alps Hockey League on Wednesday. The Budaj squad will meet the eighth-placed Red Bull Juniors on the 33rd matchday at 8 p.m. After Ritten lost the decisive Serie A match 3 at home to Asiago 1-3 on Saturday, the focus of the "Buam" is now entirely on the championship.
"Unfortunately we missed the final, it was a very balanced series. We had our chances, but Asiago was cold-blooded. Now we are concentrating on the AHL," coach Jozef Budaj said, "with two games left in the Regular Season, the Klobenstein side are second in the 70 point standings, eight points behind baseline winners Ljubljana and one in front of HC Pustertal. For Ritten, this means another important bonus point in the Master Round. The Italian champion will have to play Red Bull Juniors tomorrow away from home before they finish the basic round at home on Saturday against Linz II at the bottom of the table. On paper, Ritten should not really be burning any more, but tomorrow the "Buam" will certainly be expecting a difficult match. The farm team of EBEL leader Salzburg is eleventh with 50 points, but wants to get a good starting position for the qualification round. "Salzburg is always an unpleasant opponent who plays a strong hockey. Besides, they could always get a few players from the EBEL team. But I am confident for the next two games.
We will change some small things so that we are ready for the playoff afterwards," Budaj promises. Ritten won the first leg in Klobenstein against Salzburg with 4-1 goals. Both teams have faced each other 12 times in the AlpsHL so far. The balance speaks for the Rittners, with 9:3 wins, with a score of 42:25 goals.
Alps Hockey League, 33rd round, Wednesday, 29 January 2020
20.00 Uhr: HK Olimpija – EHC Lustenau
20.00 Uhr: Red Bull Juniors – Rittner Buam
20.00 Uhr: VEU Feldkirch – HDD Jesenice
20.00 Uhr: EC Kitzbühel – SG Cortina
20.00 Uhr: EC Bregenzerwald – HC Gherdeina
20.00 Uhr: EC Klagenfurt II – HC Pustertal
20.00 Uhr: Fassa Falcons – EK Zeller Eisbären
20.00 Uhr: Steel Wings Linz – Wipptal Broncos
20.00 Uhr: Vienna Capitals Silver – Asiago Hockey
The Alps Hockey League table after the 32nd matchday
1. HK Olimpija 78 Punkte
2. Rittner Buam 70
3. HC Pustertal 69
4. SG Cortina 59
5. VEU Feldkirch 56
6. HDD Jesenice 55
7. Fassa Falcons 55
8. Asiago Hockey 54
9. EHC Lustenau 53
10. Wipptal Broncos 51
11. Red Bull Juniors 50
12. EK Zeller Eisbären 47
13. HC Gherdeina 45
14. EC Kitzbühel 36
15. EC Klagenfurt II 32
16. EC Bregenzerwald 26
17. Vienna Capitals Silver 25
18. Steel Wings Linz 3