At the moment, the Rittner Buam are third in the cross-border league standings and have practically secured this spot. Theoretically the blue-reds could move up to second, but to do so they would have to win both games and hope that Asiago loses to Lustenau and the Zeller Eisbären.
"I am basically satisfied with how the season has gone so far. In the standings we have always remained in the top positions, the players from our nursery have grown again. After almost two weeks off we are hungry to play and are equipped for the most complicated phase of the 2021/22 season. We are all looking forward to Di Perna's debut, but Fink, Frei and Sailio will still be absent. The home game against the Salzburgers will surely become interesting, because they have young and fast players", says the sports director of the Rittner Buam Adolf Insam analyzing the situation.
On Thursday, January 20, the Red Bull Hockey Juniors just mentioned by Insam will arrive in Collalbo. The "young bulls" have won five of the last seven games and are undefeated in away games since six matches. Having in their sights a placement in the top 6, which would mean qualifying for the Master Round, Teemu Levijoki's team will arrive particularly motivated. In the first round in October, Simon Kostner and his mates had won 8:2. That triumph had been the 13th victory of the Rittner Buam in the 18th challenge with the Salzburgers. So far this season, the best scorer of the Red Bull Hockey Juniors has been Luca Auer with 40 points in 27 games (17 goals).
Two days later, on Saturday, January 22, the Rittner Buam will instead be guests of EC Bregenzerwald, in Vorarlberg. With these opponents, the blue-reds still have a score to settle, as on January 2, 2022, Heiskanen's boys were defeated 1:4 in the first game of the year. The one at the beginning of the month was also the last success for Markus Juurikkala's team, which lost the next three games. The best scorer in the ranks of EC Bregenzerwald is Roberts Lipsbergs, who has scored 41 points (14 goals) in 22 games.
Alps Hockey League 2021/22
Thursday, January 20, 2022 - 7 pm, Ritten Arena
Rittner Buam - Red Bull Hockey Juniors
Saturday, January 22, 2022 - 7 pm, Messestadion Dornbirn
EC Bregenzerwald - Rittner Buam
Photo: Max Pattis