Fassa beat Appiano 3:0 in the Italian Hockey League on Saturday evening. The home side put together a disciplined display at their rink, shutting out the visitors who had started the campaign with three wins from four games. By then the table told its own story — both sides sat on zero points despite having played the same number of matches.
It was a clean sheet for the hosts, and the scoreline reflected a day when Appiano were unable to find any rhythm. The away team had looked sharp in their previous outing, a 9:3 victory over Pustertal Junior, but they were left flat-footed here. Things came to a head when Fassa took control of the middle period and refused to let the visitors back into the game.
Looking at the recent form, Appiano had won three of their last four before this match, including that heavy victory over Pustertal Junior. Fassa, meanwhile, had mixed results — a 3:0 win over Pustertal Junior and a 6:3 victory against Pergine, but also a 3:5 defeat to Varese. The prediction of a home win, called at 57% confidence, came true today, though the margin was perhaps more comfortable than expected.
The result keeps both sides level on points, with the table still reading 0 for each after four rounds. It is not much to go on, but it does mean the early season has not yet separated these two. What matters now is whether Fassa can carry this momentum into their next fixture.
