HC Kufstein chal­lenge leaders EHC Lustenau - ATSE Graz face Wiener Eislauf-Verein

EHC Kundl vs. Dornbirner EC Bulldogs
Fri, 17 October 2025, 19:30, Eisarena Kundl

The EHC Kundl face the Dornbirner EC Bulldogs in the West Division as early as Friday. The hosts have been riding a wave of euphoria since their 4:3 overtime derby win over HC Kufstein. From the Tyroleans' perspective, they now need to back up that result against the Bulldogs.

Kundl chairman Stefan Rainer is expecting a fast-paced game and praises the positive atmosphere in the dressing room: "On Friday, the two youngest teams in the league meet, with Dornbirn, the league's second-youngest side, coming to Kundl. That will certainly promise a high tempo, and we will need to be 100% focused. After our emotional derby win against the favoured Dragons from Kufstein last weekend, as well as the somewhat bitter loss of a point, we are now all the more eager for our first full success of the season. The mood in the dressing room is right, the energy in training was top-notch, we are ready!"

After their narrow 4:3 opening win over Wattens, Dornbirn had to accept a 1:5 derby defeat at home to Hohenems. Following two home games at the Messestadion, the team coached by Head Coach Jörg Kopeinig now play their first away game, a real benchmark with a view to the exciting battle for playoff places in the West over the coming months.

Dornbirn chairman Christof Schwendinger is full of praise for the opposition and is looking forward to the game in Tyrol with confidence: "Following the announcement in the summer that Kundl had a new board after many years, it was clear to us that there would be some changes. As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean. The new board has put together a very good team to compete at the top of the ÖEL. After our first two games, we are heading to Kundl full of confidence and know what we need to improve in order to trouble Kundl. Kundl are clearly the favourites, but we still want to take points back to Dornbirn!"

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

The SC Samina Hohenems celebrate their home opener in the West Division on Saturday at Eisstadion Hohenems - also known as Herrenriedstadion - against the WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins. Under new Head Coach Martin Mallinger, the Steinböcke 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 at the top of the table with leaders Lustenau.

Hohenems Head Coach Martin Mallinger and his team cannot wait for 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 they can 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. The anticipation is huge to finally play in front of our fans on home ice again."

The Tyroleans are making their third road trip to the Ländle this weekend, where the team coached by Head Coach Fabian Hechenberger has yet to pick up any points. The Penguins came close in their 3:4 opener against Dornbirn, but the Bulldogs denied the Kristallstädter points with just eight seconds remaining. At the weekend, Wattens had no answer to Lustenau's attacking home power in the Rheinhalle, losing 1:5.

Wattens head coach Fabian Hechenberger is hoping for better finishing from his players at Herrenried: "The first two games were not ideal; it certainly was not the start to the season we had hoped for. Against Dornbirn, we beat ourselves with poor chance conversion, 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 challenges ahead. Against Hohenems, we need to get the little things right, as those 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 host league leaders EHC Lustenau in Saturday’s marquee matchup in the West Division. The Dragons narrowly lost their home opener against Hohenems 2:3. At the weekend, Kufstein came from one 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 Division leaders than in the opening two fixtures: "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 games. We definitely want to do things differently in Saturday’s home game. After two games in which the team felt immense pressure, hopefully having Lustenau as visitors will help, particularly so that the younger players can start a little more freely. Nevertheless, it is clear that we gradually have to turn our strengths into tangible results. And we want to show our fans on Saturday that we have what it takes."

EHC Lustenau began the new campaign 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. Ahead of the away game in Kufstein, the Lions have been warned: last January, they suffered one of only two defeats in the preliminary round in the Fortress City, losing 3:6.

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

Ö Eishockey Liga – East Division:

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

The ATSE Graz host Wiener Eislauf-Verein in the perennial classic at the Merkur Eisstadion on Saturday in the East Division. Graz began their season at the end of September with a surprise 2:1 overtime win away to Kapfenberg in a rescheduled game. After 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 Loschis confident heading into the next match with his team: "After the defeat against Gmunden, we are looking forward to the game against WEV. We know that, after their defeat against KSV, the Viennese will certainly be looking to make amends too, but I still think we will use 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, as the engine of last season's division winners has not yet been firing on all cylinders in the new campaign. A 2:3 defeat in Maribor, which was later converted into a 5:0 win because the Slovenians had fielded a suspended player ineligibly, was followed by a 2:5 defeat against Kapfenberg in an intensely contested game in their first home match at the weekend. The Viennese showed good ice hockey at times but, unlike the Styrians, were not clinical enough in the decisive moments to turn the game around after falling 0:2 and 2:4 behind.

WEV head coach Philipp Ullrichalready saw his team make progress in their play against the Kängurus and hopes for a further improvement in Graz: "Despite the defeat, the game against Kapfenberg was a step in the right direction. We now have 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 rise to the challenge with plenty of heart and discipline."

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

The KSV Kängurus host HDK Maribor at Stadthalle Kapfenberg on Saturday for their second home game of the season in the Division East. The Kängurus made a sharp improvement in performance at WEV on Saturday following 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 really got going for the first time in the Steffl Arena, taking a 3 lead in the 5:2 win over WEV in an intense contest.

Kapfenberg player-coach Kristof Reinthalerworks on improving his team week after week: "Naturally, we want to get our first points at home too, 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 very strong on the counter-attack. So, of course, we have to be alert to that. We also need to improve our scoring efficiency. We again missed a number of chances in Vienna, especially at five-on-five, when you can simply frustrate teams early on 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. There are still a few things we need to adjust, 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 fighting 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 Foxes had fielded a suspended player ineligibly.

Maribor head coach Jure Verličis pleased with his team's performance and hopes to add to their points tally in the Böhlerstadt: "We played really well and won our last home games. Our aim is to become more consistent from week to week, and the away game in Kapfenberg gives us a good opportunity to do that. 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 Gmundenhave a bye.

Ö Eishockey Liga – Division West:

EHC Kundl vs. Dornbirner EC Bulldogs
Fri., 17 October 2025, 19:30, Eisarena Kundl – >> to the livestream

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 - EAST Division:

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 begins the new season with the first matchday on 4 October 2025. In its fifth year, the format will see a change in Phase 1 across the two divisions: West, with six teams, and East, with five teams. 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 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 choose its quarter-final opponent from the third- or fourth-placed team 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 fixtures in the Gamecenter

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