Ritten are the Alps Hockey League 2023/2024 champions

On Thursday evening, Rittner Buam SkyAlps were crowned Alps Hockey League champions for the second time in the club’s history. In Game Four of the final, the South Tyroleans won 3:0 away to S.G. Cortina Hafro, allowing the “Buam” to claim the final series with 4:0 wins. It is their first championship since the inaugural 2016/17 season. For Cortina, meanwhile, it is their second consecutive final defeat.

12 April 20242 min read

In the fourth final game, the hosts from Cortina were the dominant team for long stretches, but Ritten repeatedly managed to create dangerous opportunities.

For example, around ten minutes into the first period, when the visitors had a major chance. Cortina were also primarily in the opposition’s attacking zone in the middle period, but the “Buam” defended skilfully and launched a perfect counter-attack in the 37th minute, which Eric Hjorth converted to make it 1:0 from the visitors’ perspective.

It was the defenceman’s first goal and point of the final series. Cortina tried everything again in the final period, but repeatedly found Colin Furlong in their way. In the end, the Ritten goaltender stopped all 30 shots on his net.

In the 58th minute, the visitors once again launched one of their ever-dangerous attacks, with Julian Kostner scoring to make it 2:0 and seal the result. Jakob Prast scored the final goal with an empty-netter five seconds before the end of the game. It was only the second final series in which both teams did not win at least one game. In the 2021 final, Olimpija defeated Asiago 3:0. At that time, the format was “best-of-5”.

Rittner Buam SkyAlps reactions to winning the title:

Simon Kostner (captain):“It’s fantastic; I’ve never had as much fun as I did this season. This group is incredible, and of course it is easier when you are winning. We took the enjoyment we had into the games as well. The final series looks more straightforward than it actually was. It was close; we simply scored the goals. You train all year for a title, and we deserved this.”

Colin Furlong (goaltender):“Our goal was to win titles, and we achieved it. The shutout in the final game? It wasn’t just down to me; it was the team. Without my guys, it would not have happened. Now it’s time to celebrate!”

Eric Hjorth (defenceman):“I joined the team in February and found a great group with whom I had a lot of fun. Rittner Buam are a great team; we deserved this!”

Tray Tuomie (head coach):“You could say that this season was perfect. Hats off to the entire team. From day one, we showed that we were the best team in the Alps Hockey League, and ultimately we proved it.”

Alexander Eisath (sporting director):“The season could not have gone any better. The guys played well, the coach always had the team superbly prepared, and the team spirit was outstanding. Even when we strengthened the squad with Eric (Hjorth, editor’s note), he was immediately welcomed well. That is not always the case with players who join during the season. This title is deserved; great credit to the Buam!”