Last Saturday, the garden of the Hotel Bemelmans-Post in Klobenstein was the venue for the annual summer party of the Rittner Buam SkyAlps, where not only were there celebrations, but also important news for the upcoming 2025/26 ice hockey season was announced. The focus was on the unveiling of the new helmet sponsor: the Agrocenter Bozen logo will adorn the head protection of the blue and red players in the upcoming season.
In addition to announcing the sponsor, President Roberto Rampoldi and Sports Director Alexander Eisath took the opportunity to give the sponsors, patrons and club members present a comprehensive insight into the club's current situation. As expected, the atmosphere was excellent, characterized by the anticipation of the next ice hockey season.
Review and outlook: A review and new goals
Sporting Director Alexander Eisath looked back on the past season, which got off to a promising start by winning the Italian Supercup in September 2024. "We lost the final against Cortina in the IHL Serie A and advanced to the semi-finals in the Alps Hockey League, where we were eliminated by Jesenice," summarized Eisath. The team also reached the semi-finals of the IIHF Continental Cup. Despite the narrow loss in the final of the Italian championship and the elimination in the AlpsHL semi-final with a 0:4 sweep, Eisath was not dissatisfied with the overall performance, even though bad luck with injuries slowed the team down somewhat from March onwards.
President Roberto Rampoldi is already looking to the future and has formulated clear goals for the coming season: "Of course we want to win titles again. We will send a strong squad into the championship again and want to make a comeback in the competitions."
Squad planning: a breath of fresh air and proven forces
A central topic of the info day was the squad planning for the 2025/26 season. The Rittner Buam SkyAlps are relying on a breath of fresh air on the coaching bench: Dave MacQueen takes over as head coach, supported by Mike Halmo as assistant coach. Eisath was convinced by the new additions: "Dave MacQueen is a very charismatic coach who brings a lot of experience with him, both from youth leagues and professional leagues. Most people know Mike Halmo anyway. He will be an important link between the coach and the team, after all he was a player himself last season. With his strength of character, he will also be a great asset for the U19s, where he acts as head coach."
Eisath and Dan Tudin, who together form the sports management team, were also able to bring four promising players to Ritten: Brandon Alderson, Patrick Madsen, Leonardo Felicetti and Jake Crespi. "Madsen and Felicetti have already shown what they can do against us. Alderson will be responsible for the points production together with Diego Cuglietta. Crespi is a defenseman who can read the game well and help shape it - he's our replacement for Eric Hjorth," said Eisath, explaining the roles of the new additions.
The home-grown players around captain Simon Kostner remain the heart of the team. "They are the heart of our team. We've been able to confirm most of the players, some have already been announced and others are yet to follow," emphasized Eisath. The anticipation for the start of the season on September 20 is great: "We are definitely ready for this championship and can hardly wait for it to finally start."
Julian Kostner received special recognition. The Rittner, who ended his career a year ago, was honored with the jersey with the number 601. With 601 appearances, he belongs to the "Club 500" of the Rittner Buam SkyAlps and is one of the club's record players.
