Bolzano – HCB Südtirol Alperia celebrated a decisive 6-0 victory over HC TIWAG Innsbruck on Tuesday evening at the Sparkasse Arena. In front of 3,095 spectators, the Bolzano team secured its eleventh consecutive derby win in the Brenner rivalry. Goaltender Marco Costantini recorded his second consecutive shutout.
The game started off at a rather leisurely pace. The Foxes took the lead in the 17th minute thanks to Isaac Ratcliffe, who capitalized on an assist from Remolato. Shortly before the end of the first period, Luca Frigo made it 2–0 in the 19th minute by firing the puck under the crossbar with a backhand shot.
A dominant second period secures a large lead
The home team dominated play in the second period. Turner Elson scored in the 25th minute to make it 3-0. Brad McClure scored the 4-0 goal in the 30th minute off an assist from Schneider and completed his two-goal performance in the 37th minute to make it 5-0. Hillman had set up McClure with a pass across the entire length of the rink.
The HCB kept up the pressure in the final period as well. Daniel Mantenuto scored in the 48th minute to make the final score 6-0. The Bolzano team then controlled the game with ease, while Costantini kept a clean sheet with several saves. The shot count was 36–33 in favor of the Foxes.
Coach Karhula had to do without the injured Domingue, but was able to put Kivihalme back in the defense. With this victory, HCB Südtirol Alperia maintains first place in the ICE Hockey League standings with 27 points, tied with Linz, which has played one more game.
The Foxes will play two away games this weekend: On Friday, they'll face the Pioneers Vorarlberg at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday, they'll take on Klagenfurt at 5:30 p.m.
