What a game! At 11:09 p.m. Salzburg was upside down

0:1, 0:2, 1:2, 2:2, 3:2, 3:3, 4:3, 4:4, 4:5, 5:5 and after exactly 81:02 minutes 6:5 – The reigning ice hockey champion Red Bull Salzburg, who had eliminated the Steinbach Black Wings in the quarter-finals, struck back impressively in the spicy final series. At 11:09 p.m., at the start of the second extra time, double goalscorer Troy Bourke hit the heart of the KAC, who had to accept the 2-2 equalizer.

“Wow, it’s so fun. It went back and forth – like on a roller coaster,” said the match winner, who they call “Cowboy” in the city of Mozart. Bourke had the last shot in this spectacular showdown, which will continue on Sunday (5.30 p.m., Puls 24) in Klagenfurt. “Of course it’s frustrating, we’ve invested a lot. Now it’s time to quickly forget,” emphasized KAC striker Thomas Hundertpfund.

A debacle for the national team

Austria’s national team received a resounding slap in the face in the second preparation camp for the A World Cup in Prague (from May 11th). There was a 6-0 debacle against the B nation Slovenia in Villach. “I have to process it, I didn’t expect it,” admitted coach Roger Bader, who will be moving to Linz with his protégés next week, where the six-time world champions Czech Republic will be waiting on Saturday (6 p.m., ORF Sport +).

“This is a world-class team. We have to find our strengths. Against Slovenia we were outnumbered – we’re usually good at that – and, above all, physically inferior,” explained the Swiss: “Many seemed very tired – from all the strength training. Normally you have to Beat Slovenia, but not with this line-up. We were missing 15 to 18 players.”

Defender Kilian Zündel (Ambri) was self-critical: “This 6-0 defeat will be a lesson for us. We have to step it up a notch everywhere.”

The red-white-red women lost 1-0 to Hungary in an international friendly in Budapest.