Italian Hockey League, fifth round played. League leaders Caldaro in Bressanone

The fifth day of the International Humanitarian Law coincides with the second round in the middle of the week, which is full, as usual, of derbies and sincere challenges. Ten teams will be on track on Thursday evening, with Varese getting a break. It remains to be seen whether the attempt to escape from the leader of the standings will continue. League leaders Caldaro will be on stage at the home of the Bressanone Falcons while Valdiviemi Aligi waits. Berghain are away to Veltri while Dobbiaco seeks his first derby win against Appiano. Valbellis vs. Cuomo: The first seasonal success for a contender is within reach.

8pm South Tyrol double derby. The first match will be held in Bressanone, where league leaders Caldaro arrive. Perfect so far in collecting 12 points in the four races played. The young Falcons achieved their first win of the season, 7-3 at the Como Arena, so they will try to use the excitement generated by this latest result to put the IHL vice-champions in a difficult position. American Ridler’s hat-trick shows what an extra man he can be for the Falcons, and even Finn Maunuula’s first goal may have unleashed Brixen’s foreign striker. Presenesi who, as usual, will focus on a fast and high-paced match to try to surprise a Caldaro side that so far appears to be the most solid team in the tournament. Four successes, perhaps not extensive but always clear, and the feeling that coach Suikanen is already in control of the javelin. Four of the five goals against Alleghi came from the power play, which is an indication of how good Caldaro’s elite side are given the total of eight goals on 24 occasions, and the numerical disadvantage figure is also impressive: of the 17 players who have had the least positions ever to concede Pike’s team has no goal at all.

Meanwhile, the original Icebears and Appiano will be on track in Dobbiaco. The Pusteresi have always been beaten so far, but they are still fresh from a brave game in Varese where they narrowly fell short of a comeback from a Lombard side, extending the game into extra time. The first two goals of the season came from Majul, who proved ruthless in numerical superiority, and in any case it was a test in which the whole group tried their best to get the points. Dobbiaco will now try to take advantage of the ground factor to move up from position 1 in the standings, but it will not be easy for the so far unbeaten Appiano. Three games and three wins for the Buccaneers who made it immediately clear they wanted to be champions all the way. If Caldaro’s intensity is going well, Appiano’s performance is the verdict considering the five goals scored on nine occasions is an unreal 55.56%. This is a fact that is unlikely to remain so until the end of the season, but in the meantime it indicates that the yellow and blue have very clear ideas at the offensive level and, relying on the Finns Raisanen and Miikkinen, know how to move the puck always finding the best man in the striking position.

At 8.30pm we start with Fiemme-Alleghe, The fifth match in a row that Trentino players will play at home. Trentini is fresh from the success against Valpelles in the first round of the 11th round and is once again very effective offensively: with 19 goals scored (among the teams that played 4 matches), Viemy’s team is the best attacking team in the tournament. The Czechs Moka and Mlinar, who are ranked first and third in the scorers’ table with 12 and 8 points, lead a team that has also found material from other blocs in recent matches. It will be a very interesting match given that Aligi, after a lavish summer season in the transfer market, wants to leave the lower regions of the table as soon as possible. We knew it would take some time to integrate all the new players, and the calendar certainly didn’t help: in the first five days, in fact, the Owls challenged Varese, Berghain, Caldaro and now Viemy, among others, so they found themselves facing high-level teams. However, a jolt is needed to pick up points on a difficult track to beat and begin to chip away at the standings before three of the next four races are contested at the home track.

Also at 8:30 pm, a match between two of the three teams that have so far failed to win at the beginning of the season: Valpelis hosts Como in Kota Morandini, She does so in a positive spirit. This is allowed in the last three matches played by Grossi’s men who, after taking a point from Appiano, fought to the end against Wiem and Bergen away from home. The Piedmontese boys are growing from game to game, and despite struggling to outnumber them, they are looking for a win that will reward the hard work they have done so far. On the other hand, Como’s team is still without wins or points, after being defeated at home by Bressanone. Massimo da Rin’s team has put in so much effort so far that they need a clear turn on either side of the track as soon as possible. The few goals scored and so many goals conceded (even with just three games played, while direct rivals have played five) highlight the difficulties Larian has faced so far in the tournament, but the Blue and White have no shortage of talent to try and close the gap. . Return to your place immediately.

The program ends with another very interesting classification challenge, Feltre-Pergine. The home team, which started very well but is coming off two defeats, wants to come back immediately to prove that the setbacks they suffered against Caldaro and Appiano were just empty passes. Fontana has a deep roster capable of fighting for every ball, and in front of a friendly crowd, they immediately want to reverse the trend of recent weeks by taking the scalp of a major league player. A great team, Bergen, which has never been defeated until now, but has not been able to shine in its three victories as it was imagined on paper. Several narrow wins mean that coach Andrea Ambrosi still needs to work on reforming Bergen, a team that has changed a lot in the summer transfer window and needs time to find mechanics and fluidity in the game. The seven goals scored in three games highlight this, but the Lynx are not at all lacking in talent and are looking for great success by focusing on the Bono brothers and Rigoni’s saves.

Italian Hockey League – Regular Season – Fifth Round – October 12, 2023

8.00pm: HC Falcons Brixen Bressanone – SV Caltern Caldaro Rothoplaas
8.00 PM AHC Toblach Dobbiaco Icebears – HC Eppan Appiano ANet
8.30pm: HC Feltreghiaccio – Bergen Sabines Hockey
8.30pm Valdifiemme HC – Alleghe Hockey
8.30pm HC Valpellice Bulldogs Spirito Reale – Hockey Como