Red Bull Salzburg is still on the rise in the Champions Hockey League (CHL). Austria’s ice hockey champions won 2-1 (1:0,0:0,0:1,0:0,1:0) at Ilves Tampere on Sunday after a penalty shoot-out and took the lead in the table, at least temporarily, with three wins from four games in Group E. Salzburg’s match winner was Troy Bourke, who scored three of his four shots in a shootout.
Salzburg got off to a strong start in the 2022 and 2023 World Cup and clearly dominated the top club from the country of the world champions in the first third (16:4 shots on goal). In the first power play, captain Thomas Raffl put his team in the lead (4th), Benjamin Nissner hit the post a little later (5th). Wimmer put the Bulls under pressure because after five penalties they had to play with one man less for half of the season. But the penalty kill worked perfectly. With a goal outnumbered, Joona ikonen (42nd) shot the game into overtime in the final third. For Salzburg it was the fourth overtime in the fourth game, for the second time the decision had to be made in a penalty shootout. And just as they did against Stavanger on Friday (3-2), Matt McIlvane’s side came out on top – thanks to goalkeeper Atte Tolvanen, who defused five tries and Bourke, who sunk his first, third and fourth tries.
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