ESC Stein­dorf crowned Ö Eishockey Liga cham­pions with an aggre­gate score of 9:7 against Hohenems!

There was only a brief feeling-out period in the second leg of the Ö Eishockey Liga final between SC Samina Hohenems 1974 and ESC SoccerZone Steindorf.

The Carinthians went into the ultimate showdown with the Vorarlberg side holding a four-goal lead, in spring-like temperatures of 14 degrees and in front of the ÖEL record crowd of 2.122 fans at Herrenriedstadion. The tension quickly mounted under the open Hohenems sky: Patric Scheffknecht shot from the blue line and Julian Grafschafter finished from close range in the sixth minute to give the Steinböcke an early 1:0 lead.

Shortly afterwards, Steindorf's Daniel Friedrich and Kevin Steiner had to head to the penalty box. Head coach Bernd Schmidle's team capitalised on the 5:3 power play: Stefan Spannring fired the puck irresistibly into the net to make it 2:0 for Hohenems in the eighth minute. The visitors then initially tried to bring both the game and their opponents under control, and increasingly succeeded as the first period progressed.

Another double penalty in the second period created danger in Steindorf's defensive zone. Daniel Gasser and Kevin Steiner both took two-minute penalties at the same time. The Steinböcke also capitalised on their second 5:3 power play: goal scorer Christian Haidinger beat Steindorf netminder Paul Steiner from the slot to make it 3:0 in minute 28. Hohenems were now just one goal behind on aggregate before the halfway point of the game.

The Vorarlberg side had now scented blood. The game became more exciting with every minute. Steindorf showed how quickly things can change in ice hockey in minute 35: Kristian Kravanja converted a fine pass from Franz Wilfan with a precise shot from the right face-off circle to make it 1:3, putting the Carinthians two goals clear again on aggregate. With their late first goal, the Ossiacher See players were suddenly right back in the game, and Hohenems netminder Karlo Skec now had considerably more to do.

High tension in the final period

Right at the start of the final period, the hosts had a dangerous situation to survive while shorthanded. Christof Martinz then had Steindorf's second goal on his stick from close range, but Karlo Skec saved the shot. Head coach Robert Moser's team tried to remain solid defensively and run down the clock.

The match had reached crunch time with ten minutes remaining. In a scramble in front of goal, SC Hohenems' 4:1 was in the air, but Steindorf managed to clear with a combined effort. Goalie Paul Steiner then let a long-range shot slip through, but was fortunate that the puck did not cross the line.

Just under seven minutes before the final siren, Hohenems coach Bernd Schmidle went "All In" and pulled netminder Karlo Skec for the first time. With five and a half minutes remaining, the Vorarlberg side were shorthanded after Lukas Fritz was sent off for hooking. Steindorf continued to run down the clock cleverly and were unlucky once when a shot at the empty net hit the post.

At the final siren, Steindorf celebrated the Ö Eishockey Liga 2022/2023 championship title, completing the double in their 50th anniversary year following their title in the Carinthian AHC Division I.

Following Steindorf's championship celebrations, led by 16-year-old goaltender Paul Steiner, the Austrian national anthem was played at Herrenriedstadion. This was followed by the atmospheric awards ceremony. First, "Referee in Chief" Gerhard Schiffauer honoured the officiating team.

ÖEHV Vice-President Andreas Ösze then presented the silver medals to the SC Hohenems players together with Peter Schweda from the ÖEHV's competition department. The final highlight of the championship ceremony was the presentation of the trophy to the new Ö Eishockey Liga champions – ESC SoccerZone Steindorf!

Ö Eishockey Liga play-off final

Second leg:

SC Samina Hohenems 1974 vs. ESC SoccerZone Steindorf 3:1 (2:0,1:1,0:0)
Sat, 18 March 2023, 18:30, Herrenriedstadion
SC Samina Hohenems 1974 goalscorers: Julian Grafschafter (at 05:17), Stefan Spannring (at 07:56/PP2), Christian Haidinger (at 27:28/PP2)
Scorer ESC SoccerZone Steindorf: Kristian Kravanja (34:49)

ESC SoccerZone Steindorf are champions of the Ö Eishockey Liga with an aggregate score of 9:7 in 2022/2023.

First leg:

ESC SoccerZone Steindorf vs. SC Samina Hohenems 1974 8:4 (4:2,4:1,0:1)
Sat., 11 March 2023, 17:30, Ossiacher See Halle
Scorers ESC SoccerZone Steindorf: Martin Oraže (00:34), Franz Wilfan (04:19), Benjamin Petrik (09:33, 29:36/PP2), Christof Martinz (18:37/SH1, 26:41), Stefan Bacher (26:25), Markus Pöck (34:51/PP1)
Scorers SC Samina Hohenems 1974: Christian Haidinger (18:05/PP1), Johannes Hehle (19:30/PP1, 51:00), Thomas Auer (23:02)

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