League leaders Lustenau beat Croc­o­diles Kundl – Hohenems win at Wattens Penguins

League leaders EHC Lustenau met the in the Rheinhalle in front of almost 800 fans in the final game of the yearEHC Crocodiles Kundl in the Rheinhalle in front of just under __OEHV_NUM_E_A__ fans to round off the year. The Vorarlberg side were on top from the outset and even had a lengthy 5:3 power play. The Crocodiles were defensively sound and, together with netminder Jakub Kostelny, kept a clean sheet. 

The Tyroleans then also threatened in front of the Lustenau net. Goaltender Felix Beck denied the first major chance with an excellent save, but shortly afterwards the visitors took a 1:0 lead: Simon Brandner pounced on the rebound from a Felix Platzer shot to put his side ahead (14). Towards the end of the opening period, Kundl also had their first power play, but there were no further goals before the first intermission.

The Lions continued to dictate proceedings at the start of the second period, but Head Coach Jaroslav Betka's team remained compact, held firm and created occasional attacking opportunities. The Unterinntal side missed the chance to extend their lead on two further power plays. Lustenau had a great opportunity to equalise while shorthanded for the second time: Robin Wüstner broke away alone on the Kundl net, but was denied by netminder Kostelny. 

Head coach Dániel Fekete’s team also let a power-play opportunity go to waste shortly afterwards. The West leaders equalised early in the final period: following a face-off on the left, the puck went via Jonas Kutzer to Martin Grabher Meier, who fired home unmarked to make it 1:1 (44th minute). Just under three minutes later, the home side had turned the game around. Dominic Haberl drove forcefully into the slot from behind the goal and made it 2:1 (47th minute). 

Lustenau added another, with Jonas Kutzer bundling the puck over the line amid a scramble in front of goal to make it 3:1 (51nd minute). The Crocodiles tried once more to get back into the game, but found Felix Beck in goal too strong. Just under two minutes from the end, Adem Kandemir struck with a fine shot from the slot to make it 4:1 and seal the result (58th minute).

SC Hohenems win at Wattens Penguins

The WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins hosted SC Samina Hohenemsin the final Ö Eishockey Liga game of 2024. Both teams served up a fast-paced and open match from the outset, with the visitors suddenly taking a two-goal lead through a double strike within 49 seconds. First, Patrick Spannring got his stick to a perfect cross-ice pass from Kai Fässler to make it 1:0 (12th). Johannes Hehle then made it 2:0 with a fine wrist shot from the left-hand side (12th). 

The Steinböcke soon added 3:0: Niklas Gehringer stole the puck and went in alone on Wattens netminder Marco Simair, who was able to save the initial shot but was powerless against the rebound (14). The Penguins got their first goal on their first power play, with Luca Muigg putting the Tyroleans on the scoreboard at 1:3 (15).

Early in the second period, Johannes Hehle increased the Schlittschuhclub’s lead to 4:1 on the power play with his second goal of the game (22). Hohenems controlled the match and dictated the pace. Patrick Spannring made it 5:1 with a precise shot from the slot shortly before the midway point of the game (30). Wattens showed their strength on the power play and reduced the deficit to 2:5 shortly before the end of the middle period, with Noah Polig perfectly positioned in the slot to fire home (40).

For a long time, there were no further goals in the final period, before Wattens pulled their netminder late on. Patrick Spannring calmly slotted the puck into the empty net to make it 6:2 (59nd minute), his third goal of the evening. The final Ö Eishockey Liga game of 2024 ended with a commanding road win for SC Hohenems at the Wattens Penguins.

Ö Eishockey Liga – Division West:

EHC Lustenau vs. EHC Crocodiles Kundl 4:1 (0:1,0:0,4:0)

Sun, 29 December 2024, 17:30, Rheinhalle

EHC Lustenau goalscorers: Martin Grabher Meier (at 43:45), Dominic Haberl (at 46:57), Jonas Kutzer (at 50:25), Adem Kandemir (at 57:46)

EHC Crocodiles Kundl goalscorer: Simon Brandner (at 13:25)

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. SC Samina Hohenems 2:6 (1:3,1:2,0:1)

Sun., 29 December 2024, 19:30, Wattens Ice Rink

Goal scorers Wattens Penguins: Luca Muigg (at 14:58/PP1), Noah Polig (at 39:05/PP1)

SC Hohenems goalscorers: Patrick Spannring (at 11:02, 29:42, 58:57/EN), Johannes Hehle (at 11:51, 21:38/PP1), Niklas Gehringer (at 13:36)

All standings, statistics and fixtures for the Ö Eishockey Liga in the Gamecenter

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