For the Ice Bulls

Entry into the semi-finals is now just a formality

Stapelfeldt and Co. want to make promotion perfect.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

The Bulls can secure their place in the semi-finals of the ICE Hockey League with a home win against Linz today. The statistics speak for themselves, but the underdogs from Upper Austria have not yet given up. KAC and Bozen can also advance to the preliminary round. 

The last win in a series is known to be the hardest - if you want to believe an old ice hockey saying. This is exactly what Salzburg still needs against Linz to reach the play-off semi-finals of the ICE Hockey League.

When Oliver David's cracks welcome the Steel Cities today (19:30) for the fifth series duel, advancing to the next round is really just a formality - at least if you look at the statistics. Once the team from Mozartstadt had taken a 3:1 lead, the cheese was always cooked. They were never eliminated after that. And the defending champions only had to play a game six once (in the quarter-finals against Dornbirn in 2018). Otherwise, they always made it clear in the fifth game.

Regeneration has priority
For defender Paul Stapelfeldt, however, that doesn't matter: "We're prepared, but whether we win the series or not isn't on our minds. We're just thinking about playing our game." Head coach Oliver David is also only thinking about the task ahead: "I'm expecting more difficulties and a real challenge. Which the boys are up to."

 However, an early 4:1 series win would make life a lot easier for the US American: "I need a lot of mental regeneration after games at the moment, you can see it in my face, I'm exhausted, my shirt is soaked with sweat. Regeneration is always a priority."