Defeat against Norway after dream start

It took just 31 seconds for captain Bernd Wolf to put Austria ahead. But within ten minutes, between the 2 and 12 minute, Norway, hosts of the three-nation tournament in Oslo, hit back to make it 4:1. Austria returned from the first break with energy, and Bernd Wolf scored again, this time needing 66 seconds to make it 2:4. But once again, the Scandinavians had the right response and also secured the tournament victory with a 5:2 win. Austria can take positives from their win over Hungary and defeat against Norway, having given numerous prospects valuable ice time. The men's preparations for the 2026 World Championship begin with a double-header against Latvia in Riga (LAT) on 8 and 9 April.

07 February 20262 min read

The arena fell silent, the Austrian bench celebrated and Bernd Wolf beamed. 31 seconds had been played when the defenceman made it 1:0. However, Norway quickly recovered from the shock and spoiled Nicolas Wieser's fourth international appearance. Within ten minutes, the Scandinavians had pulled away to 4:1 and maintained their lead until the break.

Austria made another dream start after the break, with Bernd Wolf once again leading the way. Norway took a penalty after just a few seconds, which Bernd Wolf converted for his 6th goal for the national team. It should have sparked a comeback. However, Norway had other ideas and extended their lead to 5:2 in the 25 minute. Austria were the better team overall, battled for every puck and created numerous chances.

Despite a dominant final period, however, the result could no longer be changed. Norway secured the tournament victory in front of nearly 4.000 spectators, but Austria return home feeling good about their performance.

Head Coach Roger Bader: “The result does not reflect the performance we delivered. We started well with the 1:0 and shortly afterwards also had the chance to make it 2:0. Unfortunately, Norway converted their first two scoring opportunities immediately at the other end. Between the 10 and 20 minute, we had a weak spell, but we recovered in the middle period and were the better team overall. Only the goals were missing. I am very satisfied with the week. Many players were able to make a statement and leave feeling good.”

February Break 2026

Three-Nation Tournament/European Cup of Nations, Oslo (NOR)

Schedule
Austria vs. Hungary 4:1 (1:1, 1:0, 2:0)
Fri, 6 February 2026, 19:00
Austria goalscorers: Benjamin Nissner (17), Vinzenz Rohrer (33/PP), Johannes Neumann (56), Lenz Moosbrugger (57/EG)
Hungary goalscorer: Istvan Terbocs (6/PP)

Norway vs. Austria 5:2 (4:1, 1:1, 0:0)
Sat, 7 February 2026, 16:00
Norway goalscorers: Sander Hurrod (2), Patrick Elvsveen (8), Aron Jessli (10), Mikkel Eriksen (12), Andre Strandborg (25)
Austria goalscorer: Bernd Wolf (1, 22/PP)

Back to news