Kufstein edge Kundl in derby shoot-out – ATSE Graz beat WEV in penalty shoot-out

For the third time this season, HC Kufstein and local rivals EHC Kundl crossed sticks in the West Division on Saturday. Following last Friday's district derby, which the Dragons won 4:2 away from home, the back-to-back encounter took place in front of more than 930 fans at the Eisarena Kufstein.

Kundl made a lightning start, with Sebastian Schild scoring the 1:0 from close range after a failed sortie by HCK goaltender Thomas Pfarrmaier (2 min.). Two minutes later, Valentin Ploner made it 2:0 with a precise shot following a quick attack (4 min.).

Two minutes later, the hosts responded quickly and found their way into the game: Stefan Reiter finished off a breakaway to make it 1:2 following a swift counter-attack (6 min.). When the Dragons briefly established themselves in the attacking zone, Valentin Hammerle bundled the puck over the line for the 2:2 equaliser (11 min.). After the turbulent opening phase, the game settled down as the first period progressed.

The derby remained a fiercely contested affair in the second period. The visitors took the lead again, with Nepomuk Bodner firing the puck in from the left face-off circle to make it 3:2 for Kundl (28 min.). The Dragons fought back once more: after a superb pass, Stefan Reiter went one-on-one with Kundl goaltender Johann Bauer and equalised at 3:3 (38 min.).

The final period began heatedly, with emotions running high. It then turned into a thriller, with crunch time arriving. Kufstein had two chances to take the lead, each on the power play. They were unable to do so, and the fiery derby went to overtime and ultimately to the showdown of a penalty shoot-out.

Finnish new signing Aleksi Airaksinen was the only player to convert, securing the Dragons' narrow 4:3 victory. Kufstein thereby overtook their local rivals from Kundl in the standings and are now third behind Lustenau and Hohenems.

EHC Lustenau again give Wattens Penguins no chance

League leaders EHC Lustenau welcomed the WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins to the Rheinhalle for a back-to-back encounter in the West Division on Saturday, in front of more than 750 fans. Last Saturday, the Löwen celebrated a resounding 10:0 victory in the open-air encounter at Wattens' Alpenstadion.

The Löwen also quickly made their superiority count in the first period at home. Following a quick attack down the left and a cross-ice pass, Lucas Haberl scored to make it 1:0 after just over a minute (2 min.). Just under three minutes later, Timo Demuth made it 2:0 with a powerful shot from the slot (5 min.). After a brief respite, Dominik Oberscheider made it 3:0 on the power play following a fine combination, still in the opening period (16 min.).

After a relaxed middle period without any further goals, the league leaders added to their tally in the final period: Christopher D’Alvise scored with a precise shot after a forceful drive to make it 4:0 (47 min.). Just under nine minutes from the end, the score was 5:0. Lucas Haberl scored on his second attempt on the power play to seal the final score (51 min.). Lustenau netminder Lukas Reihs recorded a shutout as the Löwen celebrated their eighth win in eight games.

SC Hohenems celebrate emphatic derby win over Dornbirner Bulldogs

The third back-to-back encounter in the West Division on Saturday was the district derby between SC Samina Hohenems against the Dornbirner EC Bulldogs. Just one week after the Steinböcke's 3:1 victory over the side from the trade fair city, the two district rivals met again in an open-air match at Eisstadion Hohenems.

Lukas Fritz gave the home side an early 1:0 lead with a strike from the slot (at 6). Following a scramble, Kai Fässler was ideally placed and scored from close range for 2:0 (at 8). The Bulldogs made the most of their first power play late in the first period: following a shot, Nevio Dhargyal poked the loose puck over the line for the 1:2 goal (at 18), creating some tension at Herrenried.

However, it did not remain tense for long. Hohenems stormed into the second period and scored at minute-by-minute intervals: Christian Haidinger converted a rebound for 3:1 (at 22). Barely a minute later, Lukas Fritz finished from close range after a fine move to make it 4:1 (at 23). Patrick Spannring made it 5:1 from the slot after a fine tic-tac-toe play on the power play (at 24).

A minute later, Kai Fässler was on hand to make it 6:1 (at 25). Patrick Spannring scored from close range on a power play to make it 7:1 (at 28). Benjamin Kyllönen converted on another power play for 8:1 (at 30) and shortly afterwards made it 9:1 for Hohenems (at 33).

Following a face-off on the right, Maid Meduseljac powered through and reduced the deficit to 2:9 for Dornbirn (at 38). Danny Madlener then fired from the slot to make it 3:9 (at 40). One second before the end of the period, Christian Haidinger also scored from the slot to make it 10:3 (at 40), the tenth goal of the middle period. Benjamin Kyllönen increased the lead to 11:3 in the final period (at 45). Julian Payr sealed the 12:3 final score with a magnificent shot into the top left corner (at 59).

Eastern Division:

KSV Kängurus edge past HDK Maribor

The HDK Maribor faced the KSV Kängurus for the second time this season in the Eastern Division on Saturday at Ledna dvorana Maribor. In their first meeting, the Foxes had pushed the Kängurus all the way in Kapfenberg in mid-October and kept the game open for a long time, eventually losing narrowly by 2:3.

Once again, the two teams served up an entertaining exchange. Following an attack down the left, Nejc Bizjak finished brilliantly to give the hosts a 1:0 lead (at 9). Barely a minute later, Rok Frešer increased the lead to 2:0 on the power play with a powerful shot from the left face-off circle (at 10). Kapfenberg worked their way into the game: Pierre Graf scored from close range on a power play to reduce the deficit to 1:2 (at 18). With 15 seconds remaining before the first siren, Michael Malle fired from the slot to level the score at 2:2 for Kapfenberg (at 20).

The Slovenian Drava Valley side regained the lead in the middle period: Ian Fingušt made it 3:2 after a superb combination (at 26). The Mürz Valley side responded with a swift equaliser barely two minutes later, as Pierre Graf scored from close range for 3:3 (at 28).

Just before the halfway point, the game was over for KSV player Lukas Telsnig after a boarding penalty resulted in a five-minute major and game misconduct. Nevertheless, the Kängurus regained the lead shortly afterwards: Lukas Draschkowitz scored a shorthanded goal for 4:3 (at 31). In the final period, Ian Fingušt skated forcefully in front of goaltender Felix Nußbacher's net and scored the 4:4 equaliser (at 43).

Kapfenberg found the right response again shortly afterwards: Stefan Trost scored from close range to give them a 5:4 lead (at 49). In the end, Maribor pulled goaltender Jaka Gajšek, but could not find the equaliser. Kapfenberg celebrated their second win in their second meeting with Maribor.

ATSE Graz beat WEV away from home in a shootout

For the second time this season, the Wiener Eislauf-Verein and ATSE Graz met for points in the Eastern Division on Saturday. Following Graz's narrow 3:1 home win, Vienna were looking for revenge at Heumarkt. Against the magnificent backdrop of the Vienna Konzerthaus, another exciting and evenly matched game developed. Stephan Rossmann gave WEV an early 1:0 lead in the first period after driving in from the slot (at 8).

ATSE Graz made the better start to the second period: Mathias Werkl equalised at 1:1 from close range after a quick attack (at 23). The capital side responded extremely quickly: just 38 seconds after the equaliser, Stefan Nador scored with a backhander following a Graz puck turnover in front of their own net to make it 2:1 (at 23).

Just under two minutes later, Mario Petrovitz gave WEV goaltender Moritz Merkader no chance from close range to make it 2:2 (25 min.). Both teams then had power-play opportunities, but neither side found another goal in the second period.

The match remained fiercely contested in the final period, with crunch time arriving early at Heumarkt. The classic eventually went to overtime, where WEV had a 4:3 power play, but the hosts were unable to score the winner. The match had to be decided in a shootout: ATSE player Mathias Werkl was the only scorer, as Graz won 3:2 to remain third in the table.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division West:

HC Kufstein vs. EHC Kundl 4:3 after penalties (2:2,1:1,0:0,0:0,1:0)
Sat, 22 November 2025, 17:30, Eisarena Kufstein
HC Kufstein scorers: Stefan Reiter (05:34 min., 37:39 min.), Valentin Hammerle (10:10 min.), Aleksi Airaksinen (65:00 min., decisive penalty)
EHC Kundl scorers: Sebastian Schild (01:41 min.), Valentin Ploner (03:39 min.), Nepomuk Bodner (27:31 min.)

EHC Lustenau vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins 5:0 (3:0,0:0,2:0)
Sat, 22 November 2025, 17:30, Rheinhalle Lustenau
EHC Lustenau scorers: Lucas Haberl (01:16 min., 50:44 min./PP1), Timo Demuth (04:07 min.), Dominik Oberscheider (15:02 min./PP1), Christopher D’Alvise (46:40 min.)

SC Samina Hohenems vs. Dornbirner EC Bulldogs 12:3 (2:1,8:2,2:0)
Sat, 22 November 2025, 17:30, Eisstadion Hohenems
SC Hohenems scorers: Lukas Fritz (05:29 min., 22:10 min.), Kai Fässler (07:32 min., 24:08 min.), Christian Haidinger (21:14 min., 39:59 min.), Patrick Spannring (23:04 min./PP1, 27:46 min./PP1), Benjamin Kyllönen (29:33 min./PP1, 32:10 min., 44:52 min.), Julian Payr (58:34 min.)
Dornbirn Bulldogs scorers: Nevio Dhargyal (17:42 min./PP1), Maid Meduseljac (37:21 min.), Danny Madlener (39:28 min.)

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division East:

HDK Maribor vs. KSV Kängurus 4:5 (2:2,1:2,1:1)
Sat, 22 November 2025, 18:30, Ledna dvorana Maribor
HDK Maribor scorers: Nejc Bizjak (08:49 min.), Rok Frešer (09:58 min./PP1), Ian Fingušt (25:33 min., 42:41 min.)
KSV Kängurus scorers: Pierre Graf (17:52 min./PP1, 27:38 min.), Michael Malle (19:45 min.), Lukas Draschkowitz (30:45 min./SH1), Stefan Trost (48:41 min.)

Wiener Eislauf-Verein vs. ATSE Graz 2:3 n.P. (1:0,1:2,0:0,0:0,0:1)
Sat, 22 November 2025, 19:00, WEV Arena, Heumarkt
Wiener Eislauf-Verein scorers: Stephan Rossmann (07:49 min.), Stefan Nador (22:51 min.)
ATSE Graz scorers: Mathias Werkl (22:13 min., 65:00 min./decisive penalty), Mario Petrovitz (24:21 min.)

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden have a bye.

Ö Eishockey Liga format 2025/2026

The Ö Eishockey Liga began the new season with the first matchday on 4 October 2025. In its fifth year, the format will change in Phase 1 in 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.

After Phase 1, an inter-regional play-off will once again take place, beginning with the quarter-finals on 07 February 2026. The play-off pick after the regular season will once again provide added excitement in the coming campaign. The highest-placed team in each of the West and East Divisions may choose its quarter-final opponent from the team finishing third or fourth in the other division. From the quarter-finals through the semi-finals to the final, the play-off match-ups will be decided in Best-of-Three series (H/A/H) from the coming season onwards.

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

Follow the Ö Eishockey Liga on Instagram and Facebook!