ERC Ingolstadt vs Val Pusteria

The Panthers, playing their first friendly of the summer, came flying out of the blocks. New signing Elias Pul marked his debut in style, dancing past two defenders and slotting past Colin Furlong for a 1-0 lead in the 6th minute. It was the first of several highlights for an Ingolstadt side that dominated the opening period. Kenny Agostino doubled the advantage with 27 seconds left in the first period (20'), converting after sustained pressure.

Riley Barber made it 3-0 just past the half-hour mark (31') with a snap shot into the short side, and the game looked done. But moments later, Ingolstadt lost defenceman Sam Ruopp to a bleeding hand injury — he did not return. That loss coincided with a shift in momentum.

Italy's national-team forward Tommy Purdeller pulled one back for Pustertal (37') after a defensive giveaway, and the South Tyroleans seized control in the third period. Luke Moncada (47') and Alan Lobis (50' — a rebound off another Purdeller shot) swept the game level at 3-3 within three minutes.

Ingolstadt goaltender Jonas Stettmer kept his team alive with a superb point-blank save at 58', and neither side could find a winner in regulation, forcing a shootout.

Stettmer's save with two minutes left in the third period. After Pustertal had erased a three-goal deficit, the Italians generated the best chance of the dying minutes on a powerplay. Stettmer, starting in place of rested No.1 Devin Williams, threw his body across the crease to deny what would have been the winner. It preserved the draw and set the stage for the shootout.

• Kenny Agostino (ERC Ingolstadt): Two goals — one at the end of the first period to make it 2-0, and the decisive shootout winner. The veteran forward was Ingolstadt's most consistent attacking threat all night.
• Jonas Stettmer (ERC Ingolstadt): Stopped all three Pustertal attempts in the shootout after making several critical regular-time saves, most notably at 58'. Finished with a strong save percentage on a night the Panthers' defensive structure frayed badly after the Ruopp injury.
• Elias Pul (ERC Ingolstadt): The new signing scored the opening goal of the match and his first for the club with a piece of individual quality, turning the Pustertal defence inside out before finishing.
• Tommy Purdeller (Val Pusteria): Was directly involved in two goals (one scored, one shot on the Lobis rebound) and led the South Tyrolean comeback.

Player of the Match: Kenny Agostino

Ingolstadt built a 3-0 lead through sharp finishing despite only moderate territorial dominance, then conceded three goals in a 13-minute span after losing Ruopp to injury. The Panthers surrendered momentum sharply between the 37th and 50th minutes. Shots on goal and penalty minutes (Ingolstadt 6, Pustertal 4) were relatively even, but the gap in game control was wider than the stats suggest: Pustertal carried the play for most of the final 30 minutes. The 4-3 shootout result paints a fair picture of two teams at different stages of pre-season readiness, with Ingolstadt's first-period sharpness fading as the game wore on.

This was the opening match of the 10th edition of the Vinschgau Cup, a four-team pre-season tournament also featuring Czech side HC VERVA Litvínov and Austrian club Steinbach Black Wings Linz. ERC Ingolstadt (DEL) next face the Black Wings Linz on Sunday, 23 August at 16:00 local time. For Val Pusteria — runners-up in the 2025/26 ICE Hockey League — this was a valuable test against a top German opponent. The Panthers will be concerned about the condition of defenceman Sam Ruopp, who left with a hand injury late in the second period.

A textbook pre-season contest: sharp and clinical early, ragged and open late. Ingolstadt's first-period performance was the most encouraging sign for head coach Mark French; the way his team let the game slip after Ruopp's exit is a fixable problem with two weeks of preparation still ahead. For bettors, the pattern of early efficiency fading into defensive disorganisation is worth tracking ahead of Ingolstadt's DEL season opener.

Sources: Donaukurier/Heimatsport (Alexander Petri, 21 August 2026); ERC Ingolstadt official site; betmana.co.uk match data.