Final 1: No winner between Wattens and Kapfen­berg

Image information: Thrilling first final between Wattens Penguins and Kapfenberger Kängurus - Photo: Wattens Penguins/Markus Ocvirk

What a memorable day of ice hockey in Innsbruck. The first final of the newly established Ö Eishockey Liga was officially opened with the Austrian national anthem at the TIWAG Arena. The players of WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins and Kapfenberger Kängurus lined up for Part I of the thrilling battle for the championship title. The Penguins had moved their home game for the first leg from Wattener Alpenstadion to Innsbruck Olympiaworld, hoping to create a Tyrolean ice hockey festival, and the ice hockey fans did not disappoint: exactly 1.748 spectators created a sensational final atmosphere.

A gripping and exciting ice hockey match developed from the outset, with every inch of ice contested. Unlike in many other play-off encounters, greater emphasis was placed on defence in the opening minutes this time. No wonder: with every minute played, it became clear that there was now only one objective: the title! The two goaltenders – Oliver Zirngast for Kapfenberg and René Huber for the Penguins – kept clean sheets in the first period.

Little changed in the nature of the game during the second period. There were still no goals at first, but the fans were treated to a captivating first final. During the middle period, the Penguins abandoned the instructions of their head coach Jaroslav Betka for a few minutes. The Slovakian had analysed the numbers before the game and noted: "According to my statistics and analysis of our opponents, Kapfenberg are better than us on the power play. But at five-on-five, we are very difficult to beat. That is why our main task is to stay out of the penalty box and play very disciplined hockey. You do not win games in the penalty box."

Quick double gives Wattens the lead after two periods

Taylor Holst initially failed to follow that advice, heading to the penalty box for two minutes for slashing. A few minutes later, Kapfenberg even had a 5:3 power-play opportunity, with Paul Krammer and Daniel Frischmann in the penalty box for the Tyroleans. The Styrians pressed for the opening goal, but Wattens stood firm and survived the dangerous situation. And, as is so often the case in ice hockey, that gave fresh momentum to the team that had just killed off the penalty.

Following an attack down the right in a 2:1 situation, Valentin Schennach fired home to give the Wattens Penguins a 1:0 lead (with 39 minutes played). Just under a minute and a half later, the Tyroleans replicated the move from the opening goal. Exactly eight seconds before the end of the period, Christoph Hörtnagl fired a powerful wrist shot into the net for 2:0 (with 40 minutes played), sending the TIWAG Arena into raptures.

Before the final period, Kapfenberg player-coach Kris Reinthaler had to find the right words in the dressing room to get his players mentally back into the game for the final 20 minutes after the quick double blow. And he succeeded: the Kangaroos pulled one back following a fine move. Pierre Graf played the puck perfectly from behind the net into the slot for Lukas Draschkowitz, who gave René Huber no chance to make it 1:2 (47.). Around three minutes later, the Böhlerstädter were celebrating again. Stefan Trost took matters into his own hands, made a short loop in the offensive zone and finished to level the score at 2:2 (50.).

Tension in the closing stages: Wattens took a penalty just under two and a half minutes from the end, with Mathias Kastner sent off for hooking. Kapfenberg tried to force the winner on the power play. But Wattens held on to the 2:2, which remained on the scoreboard until the final buzzer.

Following the game, a penalty shoot-out was held as stipulated in the regulations to determine a winner for this match. The hosts prevailed 2:0 through goals from Lukas Schwitzer and Daniel Frischmann, while goaltender René Huber stopped all of Kapfenberg's penalty attempts. Should the return leg be unable to take place as a medical precaution due to COVID-19, the Wattens Penguins would be champions of the Ö Eishockey Liga.

The eagerly anticipated return leg in Leoben following this exhilarating ice hockey festival in Innsbruck will take place next Saturday – 19 March 2022 – at 19:00.

Final, first leg:
WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. Kapfenberger SV Eishockeyclub 2:2 (0:0,2:0,0:2)
Sun, 13 March 2022, 17:00, TIWAG-Arena Innsbruck
Wattens Penguins goalscorers: Valentin Schennach (38:02 min), Christoph Hörtnagl (39:52 min)
Kapfenberger Kängurus goalscorers: Lukas Draschkowitz (46:36 min), Stefan Trost (49:24 min)

Final, return leg:
Kapfenberger SV Eishockeyclub vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins
Sat, 19 March 2022, 19:00, Eishalle Leoben