Hohenems secure playoff spot with win in Kundl – Kapfen­berg and Sharks Gmunden also through to the play­offs

EHC Crocodiles KundlEHC Crocodiles Kundl hosted SC Samina Hohenemsfor the second time at the Eisarena am Inn. The Vorarlberg side won the last meeting shortly before Christmas 3:1. The Crocodiles took the lead in a briskly contested game after almost ten minutes, with Tobias Dinhopel driving forcefully in from the right towards the Hohenems goal and scoring for 1:0 (10 minutes).

The Tyroleans had a power play in the second period. Following a misplaced pass in the attacking zone, Niklas Gehringer stole the puck, went in alone on goalkeeper Jakub Kostelny and converted with a backhand to make it 1:1 (28). It was a shorthanded goal straight from the ice hockey textbook. The game remained finely balanced and very even for a long time. In the final period, the Vorarlberg side pulled away to 4:1 with three goals in just under two minutes. 

First, Benjamin Kyllönen gave Kundl goalkeeper Jakub Kostelny no chance from the slot (53). Patrick Spannring then hammered the puck into the net with a slap shot from outside the left face-off circle (54). When Leon Schmeiser deflected a Benjamin Kyllönen shot out of the air to make it 4:1, the game was decided (55). Kundl’s Daniel Frischmann reduced the deficit to 2:4 with a superb shot into the top corner (57), but there was no more to come from the Tyroleans. Hohenems secured their place in the playoffs with the win.

League leaders Lustenau win derby goal fest against Dornbirn

Just 48 hours after the game in Hohenems, league leaders EHC Lustenau had their next Ländle derby against Dornbirner EC on the schedule and found themselves 0:1 down in the Rheinhalle after exactly 58 seconds in front of more than 1.000 fans. Danny Madlener gave the Bulldogs a lightning-quick lead (1). 

Ricardo Bell equalised at 1:1 from close range (10). The Lions increasingly took control and went ahead when Lucas Loibnegger poked the puck over the line to make it 2:1 (14). Exactly three minutes later, Dominik Oberscheider fired from the blue line to extend the lead to 3:1 (17).

Right at the start of the second period, Dominic Haberl deflected the puck in on the power play to make it 4:1 for Lustenau (22). Shortly afterwards, Felix Zipperle made it 5:1, with the derby decided early on (23). After a brief lull, Dominic Haberl, who scored from the left after a face-off, and Maid Meduseljac, with two goals within 35 seconds, made it 6:1 and 7:1 respectively (34). 

Almost three minutes before the end of the period, Dominik Oberscheider made it 8:1 from close range (38). The goal fest continued in the final period, with goals coming almost every minute. Dominic Haberl (41) and Jonas Kutzer (43) took the score into double figures. Goal scorer Christoper D’Alvise added two more to make it 12:1 (44, 45). 

Manuel Merk scored Dornbirn’s second goal (46), but the league leaders were not finished: Dominik Oberscheider (50) and Jonas Kutzer (52) raised the score to 14:2. Mathias Hofer scored to make it 3:14 (56) before David Slivnik completed the 15:3 final score (58). The fans therefore witnessed 18 goals in one game.

HC Kufstein edge past Wattens Penguins away from home in overtime

The WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins and HC Kufsteinconcluded the Christmas holiday fixtures in the Ö Eishockey Liga with the Lower Inn Valley derby on Epiphany. The score remained goalless for a long time at both ends before Markus Prock scored from the slot shortly after the halfway mark to make it 1:0 for the Dragons (31st minute). The visitors extended their lead to 2:0 on the power play, with Clemens Paulweber picking out the net from the left face-off circle (39th minute). 

Kufstein appeared to seal the outcome five seconds before the end of the middle period: prolific scorer David Hrazdira rounded Wattens netminder Wotan Knecht and finished backhanded to make it 3:0 (40th minute).

In the final period, the Pinguine launched a remarkable comeback within just under two minutes, making perfect use of their power-play opportunities late on: Ricards Purins cut the deficit to 1:3 on a 5:3 power play (55nd minute). Sandro Wille then fired from the right face-off circle to make it 2:3 (56th minute). In the following power play, Pavel Soukharev scored the much-celebrated equaliser to make it 3:3 for the hosts (57th minute). 

The match went to overtime, where Fabian Nußbaumer rounded the Wattens goal and scored the winner for Kufstein after 48 seconds to make it 4:3 (61st minute). Play-off qualification is now merely a formality for the Dragons, while the Penguins kept their quarter-final hopes alive. 

Eastern Division:

KSV Kängurus overturn game against Sharks Gmunden – both teams reach the play-offs

Defending champions Kapfenberger SV Kängurus met in the Eastern Division on Epiphany in the marquee clash in front of almost 800 fans on the UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden in the Eastern Division’s showpiece game on Epiphany in front of almost __OEHV_NUM_AG_A__ fans. Less than 24 hours after the home face-off against WEV, the Sharks were in action in the Mürz Valley. The Upper Austrians took the lead on the power play when Alwin Schuster fired home from the left face-off circle to make it 1:0 (6th minute). 

Head coach Gregor Baumgartner’s team added another after quickly winning the puck in the offensive zone, as Bastian Szieber finished off a fine combination to make it 2:0 (14th minute). Late in the first period, Kevin Moderer pulled one back to make it 1:2 for the reigning champions, with Jonas Kail deflecting his delivery from the left into his own net (19th minute).

The Sharks pressed on in the second period and extended their lead: Mathias Haiböck made it 3:1 from close range on the power play (27th minute). A dream combination, superbly finished by Bastian Szieber, then put Gmunden 4:1 ahead (29th minute). The Kängurus battled their way back into the game: Florian Hoppl powered through and scored to make it 2:4 (32nd minute). Adrian Stühlinger made the thriller exciting again with the goal for 3:4 one second (!) before the end of the period (40th minute). 

The Styrians battled for an equaliser, which came in curious fashion: Luca Fasching shot from behind the goal line and Sharks netminder Domenic Burghard deflected the puck into his own net to make it 4:4 (54th minute). The hosts were now truly on fire and struck again shortly afterwards: player-coach Kris Reinthaler deflected a shot for the winning goal at 5:4 (55th minute). Kapfenberg had turned the match around and secured their play-off place with their first win of the season against Sharks Gmunden, who also qualified.

League leaders WEV edge out ATSE Graz

The Wiener Eislauf-Verein also had to take to the ice again against ATSE Graz just 25 hours after the face-off at Sharks Gmunden. Following their last-second victory at Lake Traunsee, Vienna took to the ice as league leaders, and WEV had also become the first team in the Eastern Division to secure a play-off place. During the match, WEV legend Walter Znenahlik, who had celebrated his 90th birthday on 02 January, was honoured. 

After just 43 seconds, Jan Billa, who had scored the winner in Gmunden two seconds before the end the previous day, fired from the blue line to make it 1:0 (1st minute). ATSE Graz used a power play to level the score, with Niki Zierer beating WEV netminder Moritz Merkader from the blue line to make it 1:1 (13th minute).

Both teams contested a close and intense match, in which ATSE suddenly took the lead in the second period: Kilian Schwarz beat WEV netminder Moritz Merkader with a wraparound to make it 2:1 (34th minute). WEV fought back quickly in the final period after 31 seconds, as defenceman Richard Gruber set up Nils Granitz perfectly on the power play for the equaliser at 2:2 (41st minute). 

Two minutes later, head coach Philipp Ullrich’s team struck again to turn the game around: Theodor Fichtinger pounced on a loose puck to make it 3:2 (43rd minute). Graz could not find an equaliser, and Vienna extended their lead at the top of the table with the narrow win.

Ö Eishockey Liga – Western Division:

EHC Lustenau vs. Dornbirner EC 15:3 (3:1,5:0,7:2)

Mon., 06 January 2025, 17:30, Rheinhalle

EHC Lustenau goalscorers:Ricardo Bell (09:28), Lucas Loibnegger (13:51), Dominik Oberscheider (16:51, 37:19, 49:16), Dominic Haberl (21:19/PP1, 33:23, 40:22), Felix Zipperle (22:48), Maid Meduseljac (33:58), Jonas Kutzer (42:18, 51:38), Christoper D’Alvise (43:01, 44:18), David Slivnik (57:13)

Dornbirner EC goalscorers:Danny Madlener (00:58), Manuel Merk (45:23), Mathias Hofer (55:10)

EHC Crocodiles Kundl vs. SC Samina Hohenems 2:4 (1:0,0:1,1:3)

Mon., 06 January 2025, 18:00, Eisarena Kundl

EHC Crocodiles Kundl goalscorers:Tobias Dinhopel (09:53), Daniel Frischmann (56:03)

SC Hohenems goalscorers:Niklas Gehringer (27:24/SH1), Benjamin Kyllönen (52:11), Patrick Spannring (53:30), Leon Schmeiser (54:04)

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. HC Kufstein 3:4 after overtime (0:0,0:3,3:0,0:1)

Mon., 06 January 2025, 19:30, Eislaufplatz Wattens

Wattens Penguins goalscorers:Ricards Purins (54:14/PP2), Sandro Wille (55:42/PP1), Pavel Soukharev (56:25/PP1)

HC Kufstein goalscorers:Markus Prock (30:23), Clemens Paulweber (38:08/PP1), David Hrazdira (39:55), Fabian Nußbaumer (60:48)

Ö Eishockey Liga - Eastern Division:

KSV Kängurus vs. UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden 5:4 (1:2,2:2,2:0)

Mon., 06 January 2025, 18:00, Stadthalle Kapfenberg

KSV Kängurus goalscorers:Kevin Moderer (18:35), Florian Hoppl (31:59), Adrian Stühlinger (39:59), Luca Fasching (53:26), Kristof Reinthaler (54:44)

Sharks Gmunden goalscorers: Alwin Schuster (05:28/PP1), Bastian Szieber (13:41, 28:13), Mathias Haiböck (26:17)

Wiener Eislauf-Verein vs. ATSE Graz 3:2 (1:1,0:1,2:0)

Mon., 06 January 2025, 18:30, WEV Arena, Lothringerstraße 22

Wiener Eislauf-Verein scorers: Jan Billa (00:43), Nils Granitz (40:31), Theodor Fichtinger (42:27)

ATSE Graz scorers: Nikolaus Zierer (12:42/PP1), Kilian Schwarz (33:41)

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WEV become new league leaders and secure playoff spot after win at Sharks Gmunden!