Derby show­down: Kufstein vs. Kundl to round off the year – Eastern clash: WEV vs. Kapfen­berg

HC Kufstein vs. EHC Kundl
Sat., 27 December 2025, 17:30, Eisarena Kufstein

The Ö Eishockey Liga rounds off 2025 in the West Division with a blockbuster. HC Kufstein face EHC Kundl in their own Eisarena for the fourth and final time in the regular season, in the always fiery local derby. All three previous meetings have been closely contested affairs, with Kundl winning the first derby at home in overtime in mid-October.

The second duel went to the Dragons, 4:2, in mid-November – also in Kundl. In the "Back-to-Back" a week later, Kufstein only prevailed 4:3 in the penalty shoot-out. Kufstein had most recently suffered a 2:4 defeat away to EHC Lustenau after three consecutive wins. It is exactly the opposite for Kundl: three defeats were followed by a hard-fought 3:1 win over the Dornbirn Bulldogs last weekend.

Kufstein chairman Roland Luchner is well aware of the significance of the direct local encounters: "We are looking forward to the upcoming derby against EHC Kundl. They are always intense, special games, and the fact that it coincides with our Christmas special this season will hopefully ensure an even better-attended Kufstein Arena. From a sporting perspective, the direct encounters are becoming increasingly important in the battle for a good playoff position. We are currently ahead of Kundl in the head-to-head record, and we want to maintain that position. We will therefore definitely try to play for the win, even though it will not be easy. Kundl will certainly have gained a great deal of confidence from their win over Dornbirn!"

Kundl chairman Stefan Rainer is looking forward to another tough battle against their perennial local rivals: "At the moment, every game feels like a playoff game for us. Kufstein are currently one of the strongest teams in the league, and the 2:1 record in the games shows just how close and intense this series is. We have already proven that we can compete on equal terms, and shortly after Christmas we want to reward ourselves with an away derby win. We are expecting a tough fight, and that is exactly what we are prepared for."

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. EHC Lustenau
Sat., 27 December 2025, 19:30, Alpenstadion Wattens

For the fourth and final time, the WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins face league leaders EHC Lustenau in the regular season. The Tyroleans have come away empty-handed against the Vorarlberg side in their three league meetings so far this season. Lustenau won the first matchup 5:1 in mid-October, before a ruthless 10:0 away win at the Alpenstadion followed in mid-November. In the "Back-to-Back" game a week later, the West Division leaders won 5:0.

The Penguins had put themselves back in the playoff race with three consecutive wins, and the impressive away victory at SC Hohenems last Saturday in particular has given the Lower Inn Valley side renewed hope. With 13 wins from 13 games, Lustenau remain the benchmark in the Ö Eishockey Liga.

Wattens head coach Fabian Hechenberger is approaching the final headline clash of the year with confidence: "The three wins from the last three games are no surprise to me, but the result of the hard work put in by the entire team over the past weeks and months. We remain focused and continue on our path with consistency. Lustenau are unbeaten so far and clear favourites. The game starts at 0:0 and we have nothing to lose. We are ready to be brave, work consistently and push Lustenau to the limit. If opportunities arise, we want to take them decisively!"

Dániel Fekete, head coach of EHC Lustenau, knows that his team must not underestimate Wattens after their win over Hohenems: "We may have won the first three games against Wattens convincingly, but the Tyroleans' 5:3 away win over Hohenems shows that no team in the league can be underestimated in any way. We too had to battle hard against Kundl last weekend before ultimately securing the three points. At the end of the year, we also want to take three points away from Wattens in order to celebrate a successful end to the year!"

Dornbirner EC Bulldogs vs. SC Samina Hohenems
Sat., 27 December 2025, 19:30, Messestadion Dornbirn

The second district derby in the Division West this weekend will be contested on Saturday by the Dornbirner EC Bulldogs and SC Samina Hohenems. The Steinböcke hold a clear 3:0 edge in the head-to-head meetings. In mid-October, Hohenems won 5:1 at Dornbirn’s Messestadion in front of more than 1.000 fans. This was followed by a 3:1 win at Herrenried in mid-November, and a week later, in the “rematch”, also in Hohenems, the Schlittschuhclub won comfortably 12:3.

The Bulldogs have recorded just one win so far this season, dating back to the opening weekend in early October against Wattens. Hohenems most recently suffered three consecutive defeats and had to abandon their long-running battle for first place in the West with local rivals Lustenau, who already hold a ten-point lead after 13 rounds.

Dornbirn chairman Christof Schwendinger is hoping for a larger line-up, given the number of ill and injured players, in order to be competitive in the derby: “We hope that some players will return for the derby. We have many ill and injured players, which is causing us some problems at the moment. With only eleven players, as in the last game, it will be a tough task to keep up with the Steinböcke. Our team showed fighting spirit and determination in the last game. We hope that some players will be back and that we can then produce a good game for our spectators against Hohenems!”

Matthias Fritz, sporting director of SC Hohenems, is convinced that his team will show a response against Dornbirn: “After the defeats in recent games, the team knows exactly what matters now. We are convinced of our quality and that we will get back to playing our game. On Saturday, we want to set the tempo from the start, play with intensity and control the game. After the last three defeats, a win in Dornbirn is a must in order to secure another three important points in the battle for the play-offs. The belief in our own strength is there – and we are ready to show it on the ice!”

Division East:

ATSE Graz vs. UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden
Sat., 27 December 2025, 17:30, Gmunden Graz Merkur Ice Stadium (Hall A)

The ATSE Graz face league leaders UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden in the Division East on Saturday. The head-to-head meetings have so far gone to the Upper Austrians. In mid-October, the Traunsee Sharks won 4:2 in Liebenau, followed by a 2:1 thriller in November, featuring a last-minute equaliser and an overtime winner at the muki Arena. On the December public holiday, the Sharks followed that up with a 4:0 victory.

After three consecutive defeats, Graz took out their frustration with a 10:1 win over Maribor on Sunday, so the clash with the East leaders comes at the ideal time. Meanwhile, Gmunden had to experience a feeling on Sunday that they had not known at any point this season: the feeling of defeat – they lost 0:4 at home to WEV.

ATSE head coach Markus Losch explains what will be crucial against the leaders: “After the short Christmas break, we continue against Gmunden on Saturday. I hope that our injured and ill players will be fit again so that we can give Gmunden a real battle. We have to try to cut out the simple mistakes, and in attack we have to work hard in front of goal to get the puck into the net. If the team does that well and we have a little luck, perhaps we can pull off an upset!”

Gregor Baumgartner, head coach of Sharks Gmunden, sees the clash with Graz as a test of character: “After the first defeat, ATSE will be a tough test to see whether we can get back on track!”

Wiener Eislauf-Verein vs. KSV Kängurus
Sat., 27 December 2025, 19:00, WEV Arena Heumarkt

Only for the second time this season, the Wiener Eislauf-Verein and the KSV KängurusThey will cross sticks for the first time outdoors in front of Vienna’s Konzerthaus. The only previous meeting, which the Styrians won 5:2 at Steffl Arena 3, took place in mid-October.

Two head-to-head fixtures in Kapfenberg had to be postponed due to a technical defect at the Stadthalle Kapfenberg, meaning a home-heavy January awaits the Mürztal side. Both teams come into the meeting in good form: on Sunday, the WEV handed previously dominant league leaders Sharks Gmunden their first defeat of the season with an impressive away performance. Kapfenberg have won their last seven games and, even after the enforced three-week break, the Kängurus proved unstoppable against ATSE Graz and HDK Maribor.

Philipp Ullrich, Head Coach of the WEV, also sees chances against Kapfenberg with the team spirit shown last weekend: "Last weekend was very intense for us, with two games in two days. However, my team managed to maintain a very high level of focus and intensity in both games. I am very pleased with how my boys have developed over the past few weeks and I am sure that, if everyone pulls together again, we will make life difficult for Kapfenberg too!"

KSV player-coach Kristof Reinthaler also wants his team to keep collecting points in the federal capital: "The last game of this year, away against Vienna. Naturally, we want to take the full number of points here too. After our ice rink problem, the big fear was that we might not be able to perform well in the following games. But it has to be said that we are extremely satisfied that we have not really dropped any points and that we came through the time together well. One or two games were not of the highest quality, but at the end of the day the points count, and that will be the case against Vienna this weekend too. We know how difficult it is to compete away against Vienna, especially on outdoor ice, and it will take the whole team again to be able to take the full number of points. That probably means playing simply, sticking together, allowing few chances and ruthlessly taking the chances we get. That worked quite well against ATSE; against Maribor it was more problematic again, as we squandered many chances and made life difficult for ourselves, but we took the full points, so we can be very satisfied!"

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden vs. HDK Maribor postponed. A new date will be announced.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division West:

HC Kufstein vs. EHC Kundl
Sat., 27 December 2025, 17:30, Eisarena Kufstein - >> to the livestream

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. EHC Lustenau
Sat., 27 December 2025, 19:30, Alpenstadion Wattens - >> to the livestream

Dornbirner EC Bulldogs vs. SC Samina Hohenems
Sat., 27 December 2025, 19:30, Messestadion Dornbirn - >> to the livestream

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division EAST:

ATSE Graz vs. UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden
Sat, 27 December 2025, at 17:30, Gmunden Graz Merkur Ice Stadium (Hall A) - >> Watch the livestream

Wiener Eislauf-Verein vs. KSV Kängurus
Sat, 27 December 2025, at 19:00, WEV Arena Heumarkt - >> Watch the livestream

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden vs. HDK Maribor postponed. New date to follow.

Ö Eishockey Liga format 2025/2026

The Ö Eishockey Liga began the new season with the first matchday on 4 October 2025. In its fifth year, the format in the two divisions, West with six teams and East with five teams, will undergo a change in Phase 1. In the East Division, there will be a two-and-a-half home-and-away round-robin format in the coming season, resulting in 20 games per team. In the West Division, as in the previous season, two home-and-away rounds will be played, also resulting in 20 games per team.

After Phase 1, there will once again be a cross-regional playoff, beginning with the quarter-finals on 07 February 2026. In the coming season, a playoff pick after the regular season will once again provide added excitement. The highest-placed team in each of the West and East Divisions may select its quarter-final opponent from the team placed third or fourth in the other division. The playoff match-ups, from the quarter-finals through the semi-finals to the final, will each be decided in a best-of-three series (H/A/H) from the coming season onwards.

All Ö Eishockey Liga standings, statistics and schedules in the Game Centre

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