HC Kufstein unable to stop league leaders Lustenau – Sharks Gmunden edge WEV

Immediately after Thursday’s rescheduled win against Wattens, fans at the Eisarena Kufstein were treated to their next West Division blockbuster on Saturday: HC Kufstein challenged the hitherto dominant league leaders EHC Lustenau. The Vorarlberg side had won the only previous meeting of the season 5:3 away from home in the Fortress City in mid-October.

The Dragons made a lightning start: Florian Eder won the puck in the left corner, set up Aleksi Airaksinen perfectly and the Finnish centre scored from the left face-off circle to give his side a 1:0 lead after exactly 16 seconds (1.). The lead did not last long: Christopher D’Alvise used the wraparound after a quick attack, skated around the Kufstein net and levelled at 1:1 for the Lions (3.).

The leaders then survived their first penalty kill and took a 2:1 lead through Manuel Metzler after a swift attack (10.). Once again, the Tyroleans were unable to capitalise on a power play, but shortly afterwards Valentin Hammerle was perfectly positioned in the slot and scored the 2:2 equaliser (16.).

The visitors made the better start to the second period. Following a clever pass from Manuel Metzler, goalscorer Chris D’Alvise burst into the offensive zone and gave HCK netminder Thomas Pfarrmaier no chance to make it 3:2 (24.). Both teams continued to trade blows in an open contest, with chances at both ends.

Shortly after the halfway point, the equaliser arrived: Aleksi Airaksinen converted a rebound from a tight angle on the power play to make it 3:3 (31.). Early in the final period, Chris D’Alvise won a face-off and immediately scored his third goal to put Lustenau 4:3 ahead (43.). Shortly afterwards, Manuel Metzler made it 5:3 for the Vorarlberg side on the power play, setting them on course for victory (45.).

The Dragons then remained scoreless during a power play, at times even with a five-on-three advantage. At the other end, Timo Demuth made it 6:3 from the slot to effectively seal the outcome (53.). Lustenau remain unstoppable, celebrating their ninth win in their ninth game.

SC Hohenems win away at the Wattens Penguins

The WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins welcomed SC Samina Hohenems to the Alpenstadion on Saturday for a clash between the open-air clubs in the West Division, following their rescheduled game against Kufstein. In their first meeting in mid-October, the Penguins suffered a narrow 4:5 away defeat to the Steinböcke.

Of all people, a former Penguins player made his mark on the game in the opening ten minutes: following a fine attack down the right, Ricards Purins converted a cross-ice pass from Christian Haidinger to give the Vorarlberg side a 1:0 lead (8.). Shortly afterwards, the Latvian forward crossed the blue line down the left and fired the puck into the net with a slap shot to make it 2:0 (10.).

Wattens were then unable to capitalise on the first power play of the game. With 14 seconds remaining in the period, Ricards Purins showed that he knows every inch of ice at the Alpenstadion, completing a perfect hat-trick from the slot to make it 3:0 (20.).

The fourth Latvian goal of the game came in the second period, this time for Wattens: Mikus Mintautiskis reduced the deficit to 1:3 for the Penguins with a fine shot on a 5:3 power play (29.). However, Hohenems did not allow the Tyroleans to mount a comeback: Benjamin Kyllönen restored the three-goal lead, poking home to make it 4:1 after a determined surge forward (33.).

The home side made the game exciting again in the final period: once more, Mikus Mintautiskis scored for Wattens from close range to make it 2:4 after a brief spell of pressure (44.). But the Steinböcke quickly ended hopes of a Wattens comeback once again: following a misplaced pass, Patrick Spannring said thank you and made it 5:2 for the Emser (47.). Shortly before the end, Noel Vetter added the 6:2 with a powerful shot from the left (58.).

East Division:

Sharks Gmunden prevail against WEV

Leaders UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden faced the Wiener Eislauf-Verein on Saturday in the Division East at the muki Arena. Following their narrow 1:2 home defeat at the end of October in Steffl Arena Halle 3, the Viennese were out for revenge against the defending champions and made a good start: Lukas Pohl scored from the high slot after almost four minutes to make it 1:0 (5th minute).

Just 41 seconds later, Elias Koller levelled at 1:1 with a superb shot from the right into the far corner (5th minute). Both teams were engaged in an intense battle, with tempers beginning to flare. Sharks player Jonas Kail exchanged a few choice words with WEV's Daniel Aschauer.

The game remained an intense affair in the second period, with neither team giving an inch. Following a fine attacking sequence, the Viennese appeared to take a 2:1 lead, but the refereeing team disallowed the goal. Both sides then failed to convert a power play, and the game became more exciting with every shift.

With four seconds remaining before the second siren, emotions again ran high as Vienna's Stephan Rossmann and Patrick Gaffal clashed, with the tight contest gradually beginning to fray the players' nerves.

Little changed in the character of the game in the final period, with WEV standing up fully to the league leaders and defending champions. That was until Bastian Szieber bundled the puck over the line from close range to make it 2:1 for the Sharks (47th minute). Both teams continued to create good chances, with WEV's Moritz Merkader and the Sharks' Luka Gračnar making strong saves.

Following a great chance for the Viennese, another skirmish broke out, with Rupert Fichtinger and Lukas Stöttner sent to the penalty box. The game had long since entered crunch time. In the end, WEV had a power play. They were unable to find the equaliser, even when head coach Philipp Ullrich pulled netminder Merkader for a sixth skater. On the contrary, Ian Motil scored into the empty net with eight seconds remaining to make it 3:1 and secure the Sharks' seventh win in their seventh game (60th minute).

ATSE Graz gain revenge against HDK Maribor

The ATSE Graz faced HDK Maribor on Saturday in the Division East, in the Styrian derby between partner cities. Their first meeting almost a month ago was an emotionally charged thriller that ended in a narrow 2:1 home win for the Foxes. Graz had more of the play early on and repeatedly established themselves in the attacking zone.

The early first power play went unused by the Eggenberg side. However, ATSE struck on their second power play: Mathias Werkl scored from close range to make it 1:0 for the home side (16th minute). With just under a minute remaining in the period, ATSE added another: following a quick counter-attack, Maximilian Schwarz played the puck across to Tobias Fellner, who scored to make it 2:0 (20th minute).

At the start of the second period, the Slovenian visitors had an extended power-play phase, but the side from the Drava city were unable to score. The contest was again emotionally charged, with frequent minor skirmishes. With just under two minutes remaining in the middle period, Filip Matijević deflected a shot to make it 3:1 for the hosts (39th minute).

In the final period, Graz managed their lead and had two further power-play opportunities, but no goals were scored. With just under two minutes remaining, Maribor pulled netminder Lazar Ilić, but were unable to score a consolation goal. ATSE Graz celebrated a 3:1 home victory and gained revenge for the narrow defeat in Slovenia. Graz now hold an eight-point lead over HDK Maribor in the standings.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division West:

HC Kufstein vs. EHC Lustenau 3:6 (2:2,1:1,0:3)
Sat, 29 November 2025, 17:00, Eisarena Kufstein
HC Kufstein scorers: Aleksi Airaksinen (00:16, 30:26/PP1), Valentin Hammerle (15:23)
EHC Lustenau scorers: Christopher D’Alvise (02:38, 23:41, 42:16), Manuel Metzler (09:30, 44:19/PP1), Timo Demuth (52:29)

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. SC Samina Hohenems 2:6 (0:3,1:1,1:2)
Sat., 29 November 2025, 19:30, Alpenstadion Wattens
Wattens Penguins goalscorers: Mikus Mintautiskis (28:38 / PP2, 43:43)
SC Hohenems goalscorers: Ricards Purins (07:56, 09:34, 19:46), Benjamin Kyllönen (32:08), Patrick Spannring (46:38), Noel Vetter (57:28)

Dornbirner EC Bulldogs vs. EHC Kundl
Sun., 30 November 2025, 17:30, Messestadion Dornbirn - >> to the livestream

HC Kufstein vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins 5:3 (2:0,1:1,2:2)
Thu., 27 November 2025, 19:30, Eisarena Kufstein
HC Kufstein goalscorers: Valentin Hammerle (06:28 / SH1), Stefan Reiter (09:28, 35:40, 59:59 / EN), Aleksi Airaksinen (57:58 / PP1)
Wattens Penguins goalscorers: Noah Polig (29:45), Alexander Erlacher (41:07), Daniel Frischmann (52:53 / PP2)

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division OST:

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden vs. Wiener Eislauf-Verein 3:1 (1:1,0:0,2:0)
Sat., 29 November 2025, 18:30, muki Arena, Gmunden
Sharks Gmunden goalscorers: Elias Koller (04:47), Bastian Szieber (46:11), Ian Motil (59:52 / EN)
Wiener Eislauf-Verein goalscorer: Lukas Pohl (04:06)

ATSE Graz vs. HDK Maribor 3:1 (2:0,1:1,0:0)
Sat., 29 November 2025, 18:30, Graz Merkur Eisstadion (Halle A)
Goalscorers ATSE Graz: Mathias Werkl (15:22 min./PP1), Tobias Fellner (19:04 min.), Filip Matijević (38:04 min.)
Goalscorer HDK Maribor: Jan Bizjak /32:23 min./PP1)

KSV Kängurus have a bye.

Ö Eishockey Liga format 2025/2026

The Ö Eishockey Liga got the new season underway on 4 October 2025 with the first matchday. In its fifth year, the format will undergo 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 a two-and-a-half-round home-and-away schedule, 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 interregional play-off, starting with the quarter-finals on 07 February 2026. The coming season will again feature a play-off pick after the regular season to provide additional excitement. The highest-ranked team in each of the West and East Divisions may choose 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 play-off match-ups will each be decided in a best-of-three series (H/A/H) from the coming season onwards.

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

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