SALZBURG, 4 OCTOBER
Milano brought their tour de force of eight consecutive away games to an end with a 5-2 defeat, fading late against the best Salzburg side seen this season. Short-handed on the roster, Milano did what they could, but this time the special teams were less effective. Diego Kostner made a positive debut, scoring straight away: "It's been a crazy 24 hours for me," the national team forward said after the game, "but I'm happy I made it in time to make my contribution. We played against a very strong team, but we had our chances. The details made the difference. Now a couple of days' rest, and then we can turn our attention to the home opener, which we're all eagerly awaiting."
1st PERIOD · 1-1 Kostner made his Milano debut wearing number 65 (temporary), lining up alongside McKegg and Dal Colle. The announced absences of Allison and Finoro were compounded by a last-minute withdrawal from Houde (fatigue), forcing Shedden to reshuffle his lines. There was an early scare when M. Raffl, alone in front of Smith after a turnover by Dello at the offensive blue line, rang the post. Having survived the first danger, the red-and-blues went ahead through Cuglietta, who got his body in the path of a cross-ice shot from Valentine: the deflection beat Tolvanen. At 1-0 Milano's discipline let them down, with a couple of penalties allowing the Austrians to lay siege to Smith's net in a long, draining spell of pressure. Smith came up big on Raffl, with McKegg helping to clear the rebound. Brooks had another good chance. Salzburg's shot count kept climbing, but Milano held firm and even came close to doubling their lead on one of their rare forays forward, when a fierce shot from Valentine struck crossbar and post. Another penalty followed (2+2 to Wylie for cross-checking and unsportsmanlike conduct), and this time Milano paid the price. With just 49 seconds left before the first buzzer, Huber got himself into position in front of the net to tip in Brooks's cross-ice shot. The teams went to the dressing rooms at 1-1, with Milano still short-handed. Shots stood at a telling 25-5.
2nd PERIOD · 2-1 Yet it was Milano who went back in front against the run of play, further evidence of the clinical finishing that has defined their season so far. In fact, Milano scored twice: the first, a superb effort by Dal Colle, was disallowed after video review for offside, as a player was returning to the bench. Five seconds later, a Valentine–McKegg combination sent Kostner cutting through; his first shot was saved, but he showed good hands to put the rebound in on the backhand. The lead lasted less than four minutes: once again short-handed, Milano conceded to Schneider, who batted a puck deflected by Grant out of the air, baseball-style. The hosts kept control of the game, spending more and more time around Smith as fatigue began to show in the red-and-blue ranks: Saracino, who had taken a hit in the first period, did not return either, leaving the forward rotation stretched to the bare minimum. Red Bull's relentless pressure eventually paid off: a point shot through traffic, two men screening Smith, and Hochkofler with the decisive deflection. The second intermission came as a welcome relief for a Milano side running out of breath.
3rd PERIOD · 2-0 The pace dropped in the third and there were no major chances. Milano squandered their third power play of the afternoon, a detail that this time made the difference in the wrong direction. One chance fell to Caamano, who whiffed on his shot from close range. As the minutes ticked by, the decisive moment arrived: from the blue line, Nienhius (whose father also played in Milan) fired a shot through traffic that effectively settled the contest. Milano had nothing left, and with the goalie pulled, Brooks added a fifth. Now one last long haul on the bus and then, finally, home.
