Lustenau clinch top spot with derby rout of Hohenems – WEV edge Sharks Gmunden

For the third time this season, Division West leaders EHC Lustenau and SC Samina Hohenems met in the prestigious major Vorarlberg derby at the Rheinhalle in front of more than 1.300 fans on Tuesday. The Steinböcke made the better start: Joonatan Kyllönen fired from the left face-off circle to give the visitors an early 1:0 lead (5.).

Lustenau responded perfectly straight away as Martin Grabher Meier drove forcefully towards the Hohenems goal and Manuel Metzler finished from close range to level the scores at 1:1 (6.). A quick double strike suddenly put the home side two goals ahead. On the power play, the Löwen patiently waited for their chance before Riku Tiainen put the puck over the line to make it 2:1 (14.).

Just eleven seconds later, Chris D’Alvise drove into the slot and gave HSC goaltender Karlo Škec no chance to make it 3:1 (14.). Lustenau were now playing with complete freedom, with Riku Tiainen burying the puck on the backhand for 4:1 (15.). The Finn completed his hat-trick in the first period, scoring from the right face-off circle to make it 5:1 (18.).

After a scintillating opening period, Lustenau took things a little more calmly in the second, allowing Hohenems to keep the game more open. Until the Löwen struck again on the power play: Adem Kandimir beautifully wristed the puck into the net for 6:1 (33.).

The West leaders remained ruthless: after a misplaced pass by Hohenems in the neutral zone, Lustenau played tic-tac-toe, finished by Martin Grabher Meier for 7:1 after exactly 36 minutes (37.). Shortly afterwards, leading scorer Chris D’Alvise appeared in front of the opposition goal and sent the puck over the line to make it 8:1 (39.). Pascal Prugger then took over in the visitors’ net.

Lustenau continued to press forward in the third period, with Stefan Hrdina wristing the puck from the blue line towards goal and Dominik Oberscheider deflecting it for 9:1 (45.). Hohenems reduced the deficit to 2:9 through Ricards Purins, who scored from the slot (49.).

Chris D’Alvise then completed his own hat-trick, with the centre scoring from a tight angle for 10:2 to take Lustenau into double figures (56.). With this rout, the dominant league leaders secured top spot in the Division West regular season early.

HC Kufstein dismantle Dornbirn and draw level with Hohenems

Also meeting for the third time this season in Division West on Tuesday were HC Kufstein and Dornbirner EC Bulldogs for points. The hosts quickly made clear who was in charge at the Kufstein Arena: Stefan Reiter fired from the right face-off circle to give the Dragons a 1:0 lead (4.), before Valentin Hammerle scored from close range following a fine combination to make it 2:0 shortly afterwards (6.).

Kufstein controlled the game and extended their lead to 3:0, with Valentin Hammerle finishing off a fine attack for his second goal (10.).

The Tyroleans pressed early in the second period and extended their advantage: after killing a penalty, captain Dominique Saringer led a quick attack down the left, and Valentin Hammerle converted the rebound for his hat-trick and to make it 4:0 for Kufstein (22.).

After a brief respite, Christian Pittl made it 5:0 for the fortress town side from the slot (33.). With his assist on the 5:0 goal, Herbert Steiner recorded his 321. point for the Dragons, making him the sole all-time points leader of the Kufstein Dragons. Just over a minute later, Stefan Reiter converted a cross-ice pass on the power play to make it 6:0 (34.).

In the final period, Aleksi Airaksinen made it 7:0 for Kufstein (46.). Following a face-off on the left, Stefan Reiter appeared in the slot and completed the 8:0 final score (52.). With the clear win, the Dragons suddenly have a chance of finishing second, with the Tyroleans now only one point behind Hohenems.

Wattens Penguins move into fourth place after win against EHC Kundl

The Lower Inn Valley derby in the Division West on Tuesday between the WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins and EHC Kundl was highly intriguing given the starting situation. The Penguins needed a home win to keep the race for the final play-off spot open. Kundl, meanwhile, had the chance to gain a small but potentially decisive advantage in the battle for the quarter-finals.

Kundl made a lightning start to this important game: Michal Kluka won the puck in the offensive zone and beat Wattens netminder Isaac Schönthaler with a fine deke to make it 1:0 after exactly 62 seconds (2.). The hosts quickly fought back: Alexander Erlacher levelled at 1:1 from close range just under four minutes later (4.). Lorenz Klingler restored Wattens' lead, with the forward making it 2:1 (8.).

Just 40 seconds later, Valentin Ploner made it 2:2 from close range (9.). The home side responded: following a face-off, Luca Muigg scored from the left at a tight angle to make it 3:2 barely a minute later (10.). Two minutes later, Lukas Jaunegg fired home clinically from the right face-off circle to make it 4:2 (12.). Kundl pulled one back in a scintillating first period, with Michal Kluka scoring on the counter-attack to make it 3:4 (19.).

After the open-door affair in the first period, both teams adopted a more defensive approach in the middle period and tried to keep the game under greater control. There was still one more goal: Fabian Nußbaumer was perfectly placed after a pass from Dominic Riedl and made it 5:3 from close range (34.).

In the final period, Kundl tried to get back into the game. They only managed to pull one back late on. The visitors had a power play and also pulled netminder Jakub Kostelny. Michal Kluka hammered the puck into the net to make it 4:5 two minutes from time (59.), completing his hat-trick on the night. The Penguins saw out their narrow lead and moved above Kundl in the table. Both teams now have 18 points.

Division East:

WEV beat league leaders Sharks Gmunden again

The Wiener Eislauf-Verein hosted UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden at the atmospheric WEV Arena in front of Vienna's Konzerthaus on Epiphany for their fourth meeting of the season. From the outset, the open-air clash was an intense affair, with both teams giving each other little room in the opening minutes.

The Viennese had the first power play of the game, but failed to score on their first numerical advantage. Following a wonderful cross-ice pass from Patrick Bolterle, Lukas Pohl lifted the puck superbly into the net to make it 1:0 (12.).

At the start of the second period, WEV put on a strong display and opened up a three-goal lead. Following a beautiful move, Denis Simek converted a cross-ice pass and redirected the puck into the net to make it 2:0 (23.). Just 37 seconds later, Patrick Bolterle burst through to appear in front of the Gmunden goal and made it 3:0 (23.).

Again just under two minutes later, the league leaders were back in the game: Bastian Szieber cut in from the left in front of Moritz Merkader's goal and buried the puck to make it 1:3 after exactly 25 minutes (26.). The reigning champions followed up: veteran Marc-André Dorion weaved through the WEV defence and pulled one back from close range to make it 2:3 (35.), turning this top clash into a thriller.

There were also a few emotions in the final period; with the score so close, it was clear that the players' nerves would be tested. After a thrilling period, the decision came in the final minute: defenceman Richard Gruber played a long pass off the boards from his own zone, Patrick Bolterle danced through the Sharks defence and found the net to make it 4:2 with 40 seconds remaining (60.).

This gave WEV their second full success against the title holders after their 4:0 away win just before Christmas.  

ATSE Graz secure early play-off qualification with win in Maribor

The HDK Maribor faced ATSE Graz in the Styrian derby between the partner cities on the public holiday. Both teams produced a fast and intense match from the outset, with play flowing swiftly from end to end at Ledna dvorana Maribor. Omar Ždralović for the Füchse and ATSE netminder Florian Zeugswetter initially kept clean sheets.

Following a Slovenian turnover while building play, Graz combined superbly, with Luca Rodiga finishing the move with a magnificent shot to make it 1:0 (14th minute).

Maribor had the first power play at the end of the opening period and carried most of their man advantage into the second. Danilo Tomašević capitalised on the spell after just 31 seconds to level the score at 1:1 (21st minute). Little changed in the nature of the game, with both teams creating chances but defending strongly.

The score remained 1:1 well into the final period before Luca Rodiga burst forward on a counter-attack to give ATSE Graz a late 2:1 lead (51st minute). Graz then defended their narrow advantage and did not concede even when the Drava side had an empty net, securing early qualification for the play-offs with the narrow 2:1 victory.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division West:

EHC Lustenau vs. SC Samina Hohenems 10:2 (5:1,3:0,2:1)
Tue., 06 January 2026, 17:30, Rheinhalle Lustenau
EHC Lustenau goalscorers: Manuel Metzler (05:54), Riku Tianinen (13:24/PP1, 14:59, 17:20), Christopher D’Alvise (13:35, 38:33, 55:54), Adem Kandemir (32:03/PP1), Martin Grabher Meier (36:00), Dominik Oberscheider (44:03)
SC Hohenems goalscorers: Joonatan Kyllönen (04:26), Ricards Purins (48:34)

HC Kufstein vs. Dornbirner EC Bulldogs 8:0 (3:0,3:0,2:0)
Tue., 06 January 2026, 17:30, Eisarena Kufstein
HC Kufstein goalscorers: Stefan Reiter (03:50, 33:55/PP1, 51:16), Valentin Hammerle (05:12, 09:34, 21:18), Christian Pittl (32:36), Aleksi Airaksinen (45:58)

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. EHC Kundl 5:4 (4:3,1:0,0:1)
Tue., 06 January 2026, 19:30, Alpenstadion Wattens
Wattens Penguins goalscorers: Alexander Erlacher (04:11), Lorenz Klingler (07:39), Luca Muigg (09:21), Lukas Jaunegg (11:23), Fabian Nußbaumer (33:17)
EHC Kundl goalscorers: Michal Kluka (01:02, 18:13, 58:03/PP1), Valentin Ploner (08:19)

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division East:

HDK Maribor vs. ATSE Graz 1:2 (0:1,1:0,0:1)
Tue, 06 January 2026, 18:30, Ledna dvorana Maribor
HDK Maribor scorer: Danilo Tomašević (20:31 min., PP1)
ATSE Graz scorer: Luca Rodiga (13:42 min., 50:50 min.)

Wiener Eislauf-Verein vs. UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden 4:2 (1:0,2:2,1:0)
Tue, 06 January 2026, 19:00, WEV Arena Heumarkt
Wiener Eislauf-Verein scorers: Lukas Pohl (11:26 min.), Denis Simek (22:11 min.), Patrick Bolterle (22:48 min., 59:20 min.)
Sharks Gmunden scorers: Bastian Szieber (25:00 min.), Marc-André Dorion (34:27 min.)

Ö Eishockey Liga format 2025/2026

The Ö Eishockey Liga began the new season with its first matchday on 4 October 2025. In its fifth year, the format will undergo a change in Phase 1 in the two divisions: West, with six teams, and East, with five teams. In the East Division, the forthcoming season will feature two and a half rounds of home-and-away fixtures, resulting in 20 games per team. In the West Division, as in the previous season, two rounds of home-and-away fixtures will be played, also resulting in 20 games per team.

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

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

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