Merano beat Vipiteno Broncos 5:2 in the Alpine Hockey League on Saturday evening. The result leaves both sides near the bottom of the table, which is where this fixture was always likely to end up. Cup football has its own rules, but this was league hockey and the points matter more than anything else.
Merano sit ninth after two games with one win and one defeat. They have not accumulated any points yet, which is how the system works when you lose your opening match. Vipiteno are eleventh after just one game, also with zero points and a single victory.
The hosts came off a heavy 1:6 defeat to Ritten four days ago. They had won against Gherdëina in their first match before that, so consistency has been an issue. Vipiteno's only game so far was a 6:5 win over the same opponents, which tells you something about how these teams play against each other.
We had Merano winning at 53 per cent confidence. And here's the thing — the prediction came through, though not in a way that suggests anything will be straightforward. They had the deeper squad and they showed it when the game needed closing down.
The old head settled them down after the first period. Vipiteno threatened at times but could not find a rhythm once Merano took control. By then the momentum had shifted and the Broncos had nothing left to chase.
This result does not change the table dramatically. Both teams remain in the lower reaches and there is plenty of league left to play. What it does is give Merano a chance to build something, while Vipiteno will need more than one good game to climb away from the bottom.
