Kapfen­berger SV lay the foun­da­tions for the second leg of the final with a dream start in Hohenems!

The SC Samina Hohenems met in the first leg of the Ö Eishockey Liga championship final at the Eisstadion Hohenems, aka Herrenried-Stadion, in front of 1.522 fans on the Kapfenberger SV in the first leg of the Ö Eishockey Liga championship final at the Eisstadion Hohenems, aka Herrenried-Stadion, in front of __OEHV_NUM_E_A__ fans and endured an ice-cold start of the highest order.

After exactly 47 seconds, the visitors from Styria led 1:0 following their first serious attack, courtesy of a goal from Daniel Oberkofler (1st minute). Just 61 seconds later, Manuel Trost made it 2:0 from the slot, with Hohenems netminder Matthias Fritz allowing the not particularly powerful shot through (2nd minute).

And it got even worse for the Vorarlberg side: just 22 seconds after the second goal conceded, Lukas Draschkowitz redirected the puck over the line from close range following a swift attack to make it 3:0 (3rd minute). After exactly two minutes and ten seconds, the Kangaroos led 3:0 away from home. Hohenems were in a state of collective shock. HSC head coach Thomas Sticha had to react early, bringing in back-up netminder Karlo Škec for Matthias Fritz.

With every shift, the Steinböcke tried to regain control of the game after the incredible start. They gradually began to make their mark offensively too, but Kapfenberg goaltender Oliver Zirngast did not allow a goal in the first period. In addition, the Mürztal side played with composure after taking the early lead and were also very solid defensively.

Kapfenberg also dominated the opening minutes of the second period, initially pinning the hosts back with the help of a power play and, at times, afterwards as well. However, Karlo Škec kept his net clean and prevented the deficit from growing.

Hohenems then had the chance to finally get on the scoresheet in the final, with three Kapfenberg players sent to the penalty box in succession. However, the Schlittschuhclub were unable to capitalise on a brief 5:3 and 5:4 power-play advantage, with KSV netminder Oliver Zirngast impossible to beat. Pierre Graf even squandered a great chance for a shorthander when he went in alone on goaltender Škec.

Following the extended penalty-killing situation, the team led by player-coach Kris Reinthaler took command again. After a sustained spell of pressure, Christoph Draschkowitz scored 4:0 for Kapfenberg from the slot (38th minute), effectively deciding the first leg in the second period.

Hohenems pull one back in the final period

At the start of the final period, Hohenems battled fiercely to finally score their first goal of the final series. Kapfenberg adopted a cautious approach and focused on counter-attacks. At the other end, Kapfenberg goaltender Oliver Zirngast continued to put in a strong performance, giving the Vorarlberg side more to think about with every attack and shot on goal.

The Kangaroos remained extremely dangerous on the attack, but Karlo Škec in the Hohenems net also performed very well. With just under eleven minutes remaining, the hosts finally scored their first goal. Martin Grabher Meier gave the fans at the Herrenried-Stadion hope, with the prolific scorer ideally set up in the slot from the right before scoring to make it 1:4 (50th minute).

The potential late push from the Vorarlberg side was initially interrupted by a penalty and the ensuing short-handed situation. Kapfenberg cleverly ran down the clock during this phase. With four and a half minutes remaining, SC Hohenems had another chance to reduce the deficit, but were unable to convert their final power play.

Kapfenberg ultimately won 4:1 and take a three-goal lead into the decisive match in a week's time. The second leg takes place at the Stadthalle Kapfenberg from 19:30 on Saturday, 16 March 2024.

Play-offs – final matches:

Final – first leg:

SC Samina Hohenems vs. Kapfenberger SV 1:4 (0:3,0:1,1:0)
Sat, 09 March 2024, 18:30, Eisstadion Hohenems
SC Samina Hohenems goalscorer: Martin Grabher Meier (49:10 min.)
Kapfenberger SV scorers: Daniel Oberkofler (00:47), Manuel Trost (01:48), Lukas Draschkowitz (02:10), Christoph Draschkowitz (37:42)

Final – second leg:

Kapfenberger SV vs. SC Samina Hohenems
Sat., 16 March 2024, 19:30, Stadthalle Kapfenberg

Play-off format:

From the quarter-finals onwards, the ties are decided over two legs in the Champions Hockey League (CHL) format. The club with the higher placing after the regular season starts with the away leg. The aggregate score from the two matches played is used. The team leading on aggregate after the first and second legs is the Ö Eishockey Liga champion.

Should the aggregate score be level at the final buzzer after 120 minutes, the outcome will be decided by a ten-minute three-on-three overtime period and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out with five shooters per team. This means there is no overtime in the first leg. The respective first leg ends after 60 minutes either in a draw or with a win in regulation time.

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