"We are where we want to be"

EC-KAC have done it again. The "Red Jackets" reached the ICE Hockey League final for the second consecutive time with a narrow 1:0 win over EC Red Bull Salzburg. With the 2019/20 season having been abandoned, the Carinthians still have the chance to defend their title.

Game five was hard work. As they had in the fourth semi-final meeting in Salzburg, the "Bulls" gave everything they had to preserve their theoretical chance of winning their first championship title since the 2015/16 season. Clemens Unterweger’s opening goal – in the midst of Salzburg’s period of pressure – put the record champions on course, while Rick Schofield’s disallowed goal ultimately proved to be the knockout punch for Salzburg, who subsequently pressed in vain against the KAC defensive wall.

KAC stalwart Thomas Koch was correspondingly relieved after the game when speaking to "Puls 24": "Our motto was that we had to earn this win, and now there is naturally a sense of relief," he added: "But now we are only where we want to be – in the final."

At the other end, the "Bulls" were left speechless: "It is hard to find the words," said a disappointed Salzburg coach Matt McIlvane. "We tried everything once again and applied a lot of pressure. But now we are simply disappointed."