Final stage is set

Whereas the Red Bulls qualified for the finals by sweeping Austrian record champion KAC, the Capitals needed one more game to eliminate Linz. In Game 5 it was Raphael Rotter to score in the overtime and bring back memories from 2005, the last time the ‘Caps’ were in the finals.

Salzburg is the undeniable favourite in the final series. The Red Bulls qualified for the playoffs with an impressive 38-11-5 record and can rely on a very deep roster. Their great run in the CHL, combined with great consistency, prove the quality of this team. To underline their ambitions, the team coached by Dan Ratushny, can look back on 8 wins in 9 playoff games against the Vilach and Klagenfurt. Captain Matthias Trattnig and his teammates definitely want to redeem themselves, since in the 2014 season it was newcomer HC Bolzano to beat them in the finals.

The Capitals on the other side, can look back at a season with a lot of ups and downs. Signing Tom Pokel, last season coach of the only non-Austrian team to win the title, their ambitions were set right from the get-go. At the beginning of the seasons, they also exceeded them, as they had a great start. Reaching the first playoff round in the Champions Hockey League may have come at a high prize though and as the season went along, they began to lose a lot of consistency.

With only a couple of games before the start of the playoffs, the Caps opted to release Tom Pokel and replaced him with Jim Boni. So they went into the playoffs finishing on the 5^th place in the standings and a 26-21-7 record. At this point no sane person would have bet a lot on the Caps, especially when they were down 0:2 in the quarter final series against Fehervar. From Game 3 of that series on though, they are on a roll though, as they won 4 in a row against the Hungarians and carried the momentum over to beat Linz in 5 games.

Roster wise the depth of the Red Bulls is impressive. In goal young Slovenian net minder Luca Gracnar will get the start, but their backup Bernd Brückler can also be a decisive factor every given night. Vienna will rely on Matt Zaba, known as a very calm and always perfectly positioned goalkeeper.

On offence and defence both teams have a very good roster, but Salzburg on paper may always have some more assets in place. If Vienna though manages to play smart defensively and capitalize on their scoring chances, they may get the Bulls in trouble. As Bolzano proved last season, Salzburg is not unbeatable and so we can look forward to another exciting playoff series.

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