Despite the flawless debut, at least in the results, in the second phase of the championship, Adolf Insam curbs his enthusiasm. "For these two victories we have to thank goalie Jake Smith, who was excellent and kept the goal inviolate. Against Cortina the team provided good performances only in alternating phases, while against Fassa we played too casually. Moreover we still take too many 'stupid' penalties, which often refer to stick shots, some even in the offensive zone. We must absolutely eliminate these mistakes and act with more discipline, because against the best teams of the league we will pay dearly for them", warns the sports director of the Rittner Buam.

Both the strongest teams of the Alps Hockey League this week will be opponents of the blue-reds. On Thursday, the Rittner Buam will be away in Jesenice. The match against the winners of the regular season will start at 7 pm. After the home defeat (1:4) suffered on Saturday against Asiago, Jesenice could aim at recovering and arrive particularly motivated to the match against the Rittner Buam. In the regular season, the strong Slovenian team had imposed itself in both games against the Rittner Buam (2:8 in Collalbo, 5:2 in Jesenice). Jesenice boasts the second best scorer of the league, Eric Pance, who scored 56 points (18 goals) in 30 games.

Two days later Asiago will be guest at the Ritten Arena. Thanks to the success in Jesenice, the Venetian team has climbed to the top of the Master Round standings. In the regular season, the Rittner Buam won at home 5:1, while the 8:1 suffered in Asiago was the worst defeat suffered this season. The match will start at 6 pm. The strongest forward in Asiago's ranks is Anthony Salinitri, who in 32 games has scored 40 points (18 goals).

Alps Hockey League 2021/22

Thursday, February 3, 2022 - 7 pm, Dvorana Podmežakla, Jesenice

HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice - Rittner Buam

Saturday, February 5, 2022 - 6 pm, Ritten Arena, Collalbo

Rittner Buam - Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey

Photo: Max Pattis