EHC Kundl move into third place in the Divi­sion West table after win over Dorn­birner Bull­dogs

EHC KundlEHC Kundl faced Dornbirner EC Bulldogs in the Kundl Ice Arena in Division West on Friday. The team from Vorarlberg made a dream start: Domenic Grabher got hold of the puck in the slot and beat Kundl netminder Johann Bauer after 103 seconds to make it 1:0 (2.). Both teams then failed to convert a power play each and traded chances in an open first period.

The Tyroleans equalised following a fine combination: Michal Kluka passed to Valentin Ploner, who also scored from the slot to make it 1:1 (14.). Two minutes before the end of the period, the team coached by Jaroslav Betka had turned the game around for the time being: following a face-off, the puck came to Maximilian Agerer after a shot from Alexander Gruber and a deflection by Lukas Haaser, and he scored from close range to make it 2:1 (19.).

The hosts raised the tempo in the second period, but goaltender Fabian Pozzera kept the Bulldogs' narrow deficit intact with two outstanding saves. However, the DEC netminder had no chance on Michal Kluka's rocket during a 3:5 penalty kill, as Kundl took a 3:1 lead in the second period (34.).

In the final period, the team from Vorarlberg initially failed to convert an early power play, but shortly afterwards Alessandro Togni caught Kundl goaltender Bauer out with a fine wrist shot following a quick attack to score the 2:3 goal (46.). Suddenly, the match was highly exciting again and fiercely contested by both teams.

Unlike Dornbirn, Kundl converted another power play and restored their two-goal lead: Christian Baierl finished off a superb attack following a one-two with Lukas Thaler to make it 4:2 (56.). The team coached by Jörg Kopeinig could no longer find a way to turn the match around in the final minutes, as Kundl celebrated their second home win and now sit third in the West table.

SC Samina Hohenems vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins
Sat, 18 October 2025, 18:30, Eisstadion Hohenems

SC Samina HohenemsSC Samina Hohenems celebrate their home opener in Division West at Eisstadion Hohenems – also known as Herrenriedstadion – against WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins. Under new head coach Martin Mallinger, the Steinböcke had made a successful start to the new season with two away wins – 3:2 in Kufstein and 5:1 in the derby against Dornbirn – and are level on points with leaders Lustenau.

Hohenems head coach Martin Mallinger and his team are eagerly awaiting their first home game: "Naturally, we want to win our first home game of the season. Wattens did not have an ideal start and will do everything possible to change that – we need to be prepared for it. We, on the other hand, have made a great start with two wins, so it is important to be concentrated and focused from the outset. We are really looking forward to finally playing on home ice in front of our fans again."

The Tyroleans are making their third road trip to the Ländle this weekend, where the team coached by Fabian Hechenberger have yet to pick up any points. The Penguins came close in their 3:4 opener against Dornbirn, but the Bulldogs dashed the Crystal City side's hopes of points just eight seconds from the end. At the weekend, Wattens were no match for Lustenau's attacking home strength in a 1:5 defeat at the Rheinhalle.

Wattens head coach Fabian Hechenberger hopes his players will be more clinical in Herrenried: "The first two games were not ideal; it was certainly not the start to the season we had hoped for. Against Dornbirn, we beat ourselves with poor finishing, while against league favourites Lustenau, we slept through the first ten minutes and were chasing a 0:3 deficit from the outset. However, the team's morale is 100%, which makes us very confident about the tasks ahead. Against Hohenems, it is important to get the little things right; these details decide between victory and defeat. We also finally need to turn the chances we work so hard for into goals!"

HC Kufstein vs. EHC Lustenau
Sat., 18 October 2025, 19:00, Eisarena Kufstein

The HC Kufstein take on Division West leaders EHC Lustenau in Saturday's game of the round. The Dragons narrowly lost their home opener against Hohenems 2:3. At the weekend, Kufstein came from a goal down three times in a thrilling away district derby against Kundl to claim their first point of the season, but had to accept a 3:4 overtime defeat against their local rivals.

Kufstein head coach Andreas Luchner is hoping for a better course of the game against the West leaders than in the first two matches: "Unfortunately, we did not start the season as we had imagined. We began nervously and disjointedly against both Hohenems and Kundl. As a result, we had to come from behind in both matches. We definitely want to do things differently in Saturday's home game. After two games in which the team felt immense pressure, having Lustenau as visitors will hopefully help, especially as the younger players can start a little more freely. Nevertheless, it is clear that we gradually need to turn our strengths into tangible results. And we want to prove to our fans on Saturday that we have what it takes."

EHC Lustenau began the new season with two home wins at the Rheinhalle – 3:1 against Kundl and 5:1 against Wattens. The team coached by Dániel Fekete, who did not drop a single point on home ice during last season's regular season, have picked up exactly where they left off and demonstrated their immense home strength. The Lions have been warned ahead of their away game in Kufstein: last January, they suffered a 3:6 defeat in the fortress town, one of only two losses in the preliminary round overall.

Lustenau head coach Dániel Fekete rates the Dragons highly: "Kufstein have a very good team and it is only a matter of time before they click. They play a rather physical brand of ice hockey. We need to be prepared for that and stand up to them. With two wins under our belts and the corresponding confidence, we travel to Kufstein looking forward to an intense game!"

Ö Eishockey Liga – Division East:

ATSE Graz vs. Wiener Eislauf-Verein
Sat., 18 October 2025, 18:30, Merkur Eisstadion (Hall A)

The ATSE Graz welcome Wiener Eislauf-Verein to the Merkur Eisstadion on Saturday for the evergreen classic in Division East. Graz began their season at the end of September with a surprise 2:1 overtime win away to Kapfenberg in a rescheduled game. Following a weekend off, they most recently suffered a narrow 2:4 home defeat despite a strong performance against defending champions Sharks Gmunden.

ATSE head coach Markus Losch is approaching the next match with confidence: "After the defeat against Gmunden, we are looking forward to the game against WEV. We know that Vienna will certainly be looking to make amends after their defeat against KSV, but I still think we will use our home advantage to claim a win against WEV. We will prepare well for WEV this week and are ready for another exciting game!"

WEV are still struggling with a slow start, with the engine of last season's Division winners not yet running smoothly in the new campaign. Following a 2:3 defeat in Maribor, which was later converted into a 5:0 win because the Slovenians had fielded a suspended player ineligible, they then suffered a 2:5 defeat against Kapfenberg in an intensely contested first home game at the weekend. Vienna showed good ice hockey in spells, but unlike the Styrians, they were not clinical enough in the decisive moments to turn the match around after falling 0:2 and 2:4 behind.

WEV head coach Philipp Ullrich has already seen his team’s progress in terms of play against the Kängurus and is hoping for a further improvement in performance in Graz: "Despite the defeat, the game against Kapfenberg was a step in the right direction. We now need to regain our self-belief step by step in every training session and game. ATSE have a good team and will demand everything from us again, but I am confident that my team will once again stand up to them with plenty of heart and discipline."

KSV Kängurus vs. HDK Maribor
Sat., 18 October 2025, 19:30, Stadthalle Kapfenberg

The KSV Kängurus welcome HDK Maribor to Stadthalle Kapfenberg on Saturday for their second home game of the season in the Division East. The Kängurus made a dramatic improvement in performance at WEV on Saturday after their two opening defeats – 1:2 after overtime against ATSE Graz and 0:3 away to reigning champions Sharks Gmunden. The Mürztal side had taken player-coach Kris Reinthaler’s words to heart and finally got properly into their stride in an intense game at the Steffl Arena, 3 in the 5:2 win over WEV.

Kapfenberg player-coach Kristof Reinthaler works week after week on improving his team: "Naturally, we want to get on the scoresheet at home as well, especially by showing good ice hockey in front of our own fans. As mentioned recently, we know the teams in our division quite well. Maribor are a very fast team, with very quick players in their ranks, and are consequently also very dangerous on the counter-attack. So, of course, we need to be alert. We also need to improve our scoring efficiency. At five-on-five, we again missed several chances in Vienna where you can simply frustrate teams early and break their resistance. We need to work on that, including on the power play. That will certainly be our focus this week: working on our scoring efficiency, but naturally also on our defensive play. We still need to make a few adjustments there, although defensively things have looked quite good over the last few games. In any case, we want to make sure we show very good ice hockey on home ice!"

HDK Maribor had a bye last weekend. The Slovenians are battling for their first points in Kapfenberg, having beaten WEV 3:2 on the ice in their home opener, only for the game to subsequently be forfeited because the Füchse had improperly fielded a suspended player.

Maribor head coach Jure Verlič is pleased with his team’s performance and hopes to add points in the Böhlerstadt: "We played really well and won our recent home games. Our aim is to become more consistent from week to week, and the away game in Kapfenberg offers us a good opportunity to do so. If we can take the mentality, energy and discipline from our home games with us on the road, we have a chance of a positive result!"

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden bye.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division West:

EHC Kundl vs. Dornbirner EC Bulldogs 4:2 (2:1,1:0,1:1)
Fri., 17 October 2025, 19:30, Eisarena Kundl
EHC Kundl scorers: Valentin Ploner (13:05), Maximilian Agerer (18:02), Michal Kluka (33:39/PP2), Christian Baierl (55:05/PP1)
Dornbirner EC scorers: Domenic Grabher (01:43). Alessandro Togni (45:10)

SC Samina Hohenems vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins
Sat., 18 October 2025, 18:30, Eisstadion Hohenems - >> to the livestream

HC Kufstein vs. EHC Lustenau
Sat, 18 October 2025, 19:00, Eisarena Kufstein - >> to the livestream

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division EAST:

ATSE Graz vs. Wiener Eislauf-Verein
Sat, 18 October 2025, 18:30, Merkur Eisstadion (Hall A) - >> to the livestream

KSV Kängurus vs. HDK Maribor
Sat, 18 October 2025, 19:30, Stadthalle Kapfenberg - >> to the livestream

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden have a bye.

Ö Eishockey Liga format 2025/2026

The Ö Eishockey Liga will begin the new season with its 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, the coming season will feature two-and-a-half home-and-away rounds, 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.

Following Phase 1, there will once again be an inter-regional playoff, beginning with the quarter-finals on 07 February 2026. The playoff pick after the regular season will also provide additional excitement in the coming campaign. 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. From the quarter-finals through the semi-finals to the final, the playoff match-ups will be decided in a best-of-three series (H/A/H) from the coming season onwards.

All Ö Eishockey Liga standings, statistics and fixtures in the Gamecenter

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