Club Friendly· Season 2026
EHC Red Bull München beat Black Wings Linz 5-2 in their preseason opener, erasing a 2-1 deficit with four unanswered third-period goals led by debutant Trevor Carrick's brace.
Match Videos
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow It Unfolded
München struck first on the powerplay at 9:56 of the opening period. After Linz's Patrick Söllinger was called for holding, the puck rotated quickly and found Dominik Kahun at the far post, who finished first-time past Black Wings debutant goalie Dylan Wells for a 1-0 lead.
The visitors carried that advantage into the first intermission, during which both Mathias Niederberger (München) and Wells (Linz) had looked solid.
Linz found their equaliser at 32:55 of the second period. New signing Kyle Topping unleashed a hard, placed wrist shot that beat Antoine Bibeau — who had replaced Niederberger at the mid-point of the frame — to make it 1-1. The Black Wings had tilted the ice in the middle period, outplaying München for extended stretches.
Turning Point — The Third Period Frenzy
The game flipped decisively in the third. Linz's Lindner put the home side ahead 2-1 at 45:27 after a München player broke his stick in the defensive zone, allowing Linz to switch quickly and capitalise. But the lead lasted barely two minutes.
München answered immediately. Jeremy McKenna fed a hard pass into the slot and Trevor Carrick, the Canadian AHL veteran making his Red Bulls debut, deflected it past Linz goalie Martin Reder at 47:21 for 2-2.
Just 4:20 later, with München down a man after a slashing call on Wagner, Dominik Kahun forced a turnover with a hard forecheck and Yasin Ehliz buried the chance to put München back ahead 3-2 at 51:41 — a textbook shorthanded strike.
Philipp Krening padded the lead at 54:16, collecting a rebound off the Linz keeper and tucking it home on the backhand for 4-2. Linz pulled their goalie for an extra attacker late on, but Carrick sealed his memorable debut with an empty-net goal at 59:21, completing his brace.
Key Performers
- Trevor Carrick (München): Two goals on debut including the crucial equaliser and the empty-netter. The 32-year-old defenseman, who moved from the AHL's Charlotte Checkers in the summer, adapted well to the larger European ice surface and was named player of the match.
- Dominik Kahun (München): One goal (opener) and instrumental in the shorthanded winner with a hard forecheck on the penalty kill. Influential throughout.
- Yasin Ehliz (München): Scored what proved to be the game-winning goal shorthanded in the 52nd minute.
- Philipp Krening (München): Second-period energy translated into a third-period rebound goal.
By the Numbers
The period-by-period breakdown tells the story: München outscored Linz 1-0 in the first, Linz edged the second 1-0, and München dominated the third 4-1. The third-period explosion speaks more to growing fitness and sharpness than any structural advantage — this was the first preseason game for both sides after just one week of on-ice training. Both teams rotated goaltenders at the midway point, with Niederberger and Bibeau splitting duties for München while Wells and Reder shared the crease for Linz.
What It Means
This was an early-season fitness test for both clubs. For Oliver David's München, the response after falling behind 2-1 — a five-minute flurry of three unanswered goals that included a shorthanded strike — will be the most encouraging takeaway. The Red Bulls continue their preseason at the Red Bulls Salute invitational tournament in Zell am See on August 21-22, where they face EC Red Bull Salzburg in the semifinal.
For the Black Wings Linz under coach Philipp Lukas, there were positives in the middle-period performance after a slow start. They next face ERC Ingolstadt on August 21 in another friendly.
Verdict
A routine preseason opener that became a useful stress test. München's quality and depth told in the final frame, but Linz showed enough to suggest a competitive ICE Hockey League campaign ahead. Carrick's two-goal debut was the headline — the sort of immediate impact that makes a July signing look shrewd.
Match Events
Key match events between Black Wings Linz and Munchen — 7 goals and 0 cards recorded during the match.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 17 Aug 2026