Merano beat Cortina 3:1 on Saturday evening in the Alpine Hockey League. The visitors took all three points away from home, though the scoreline doesn't capture the full picture. Cortina had won their previous game 4:3 against Unterland, but this time they couldn't find the same rhythm. To be fair, the visitors were the stronger side on paper.
Merano started brighter, which isn't surprising given their record. Four wins from five games puts them fifth, even if the points table shows zero for both sides. Cortina sat back early, hoping to catch them on the break. By then you could see the visitors were comfortable in possession.
The turning point came when Cortina lost their shape. One poor decision at the back opened things up, and Merano made them pay. The home side pulled one back later, but it was too little, too late. They ground out a result in their last game, but here they had nothing left in the tank.
On paper the standings look flat. Cortina are eleventh with four games and zero points. Merano sit fifth after five matches, also on zero. The gap in form is wider than the table suggests. The visitors have kept three clean sheets on the spin, but tonight was different.
We had tipped the hosts for victory, giving Cortina 48 per cent confidence. That prediction didn't materialise. The visitors simply outplayed them in the moments that mattered. And here's the thing — it wasn't a spectacle, just a straightforward win.
