Hot weekend in the STEFFL Arena: Capitals challenge Salzburg and Pioneers!

Hot weekend in the STEFFL Arena: Capitals challenge Salzburg and Pioneers!

Things will be exciting in the STEFFL Arena this weekend! The spusu Vienna Capitals face a special challenge: they play twice in front of their home crowd in just 24 hours. On Friday they will face the champions EC Red Bull Salzburg, and the duel against the Pioneers Vorarlberg will follow on Saturday.

After the Capitals won an impressive 3-1 away win against Hydro Fehérvár AV19 on Wednesday, the omens for the two games are good. Jérémy Grégoire, who scored the equalizer, confirmed the team's positive trend. His current tally of four goals in eight games shows that he is contributing to the team's strong form. Defensive player Seamus Donohue also contributed to the recent success by setting up Leon Wallner's decisive goal.

A look at the upcoming games

The first challenge against Salzburg begins on Friday evening at 7:15 p.m. While the Capitals are currently in eighth place in the table, the champions from Salzburg have a small advantage on their side with 23 points and four games less. But Salzburg showed their strength in the last game of the Champions Hockey League with a 2-1 win against the Lahti Pelicans, which increased the pressure on the Viennese.

The Pioneers Vorarlberg, who won 5-1 against the Capitals in the first duel of the season, are their next opponents on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. The Pioneers are currently at the bottom of the table, but can hope for renewed self-confidence following a recent 5-4 win against HC Pustertal.

An interesting detail is the return of Willie Raskob to the squad, who recently became a father for the first time. However, the team is still without Brett Kemp, Tyler Parks and Lukas Piff. A breath of fresh air comes from 21-year-old Viennese Maximilian Theirich, who was loaned from the Steinbach Black Wings Linz until the end of the season. This player already scored 23 points for the Steel Wings Linz in the Alps Hockey League last season.

These games are of great importance for the Capitals and especially for Jérémy Grégoire. “The victory over Fehérvár gives us confidence for the next games,” commented Grégoire, adding that the fight against Salzburg will be completely different than against the Hungarians. Preparation and determination to win the games are paramount.

The team and fans are looking forward to the games, especially the duel against the champions. The Stadthalle could be the scene of an exciting competition and the Capitals have the opportunity to show their best side. More details can be found on Eishockey.net.