Major upset: ATSE Graz over­come Kapfen­berg in the opening derby of the Ö Eishockey Liga!

The Ö Eishockey Liga began its fifth season on Friday with the Styrian derby between hosts KSV Kängurus and ATSE Graz . Graz had the first power play, but the home side took the lead. 19-year-old new signing Phileas Lyssy was exactly where a centre needs to be following a swift shorthanded counter-attack, converting a rebound to make it 1:0 for Kapfenberg and scoring his first goal in his first ÖEL match (5). 

As the first period continued, the Mürztal side had two power-play opportunities, but the narrow one-goal lead remained intact after the opening 20 minutes. At the start of the second period, both teams produced good attacking moves without neglecting their defensive duties. Having found their rhythm in the first period, the intensity naturally increased too. 

ATSE grew more confident and daring with every shift and came close to equalising during this phase, aided in part by another power play. However, the Kängurus remained dangerous on the attack, while Graz netminder Gernot Fally, like his opposite number Felix Nußbacher, delivered a strong opening performance. Tempers flared towards the end of the middle period, and the game was over for KSV player Neal Unterluggauer and ATSE defenceman Florian Angerbauer following a fight. 

Kapfenberg were unable to make the most of a power play at the start of the final period and had to concede the equaliser shortly afterwards: following a face-off, Luca Rodiga reacted quickest to the situation in the slot and lifted the puck into the net to make it 1:1 for ATSE (at 48). The game entered crunch time, with the Kängurus initially surviving a penalty kill. 

Shortly before the end, Filip Matijević had the winning goal on his stick, but Kapfenberg netminder Felix Nußbacher plucked the puck out of the corner with a fine glove save. The derby went to overtime, where Maximilian Schwarz scored from close range to secure a surprise 2:1 win for the visitors (at 62). 

The team coached by head coach Markus Losch, who had missed the play-offs last season with just two wins from 16 games and lost both pre-season matches against the Mürztal side in this year's Gösser Cup – 1:5 and 2:4 – claimed their first victory in their opening match.

Ö Eishockey Liga - East Division:

KSV Kängurus vs. ATSE Graz 1:2 n.V. (1:0,0:0,0:1,0:1)
Fri, 26 September 2025, 20:00, Stadthalle Kapfenberg
KSV Kängurus scorer: Phileas Lyssy (04:46 min./SH1)
ATSE Graz scorers: Luca Rodiga (47:14 min.), Maximilian Schwarz (61:45 min.)

Ö Eishockey Liga format 2025/2026

In its fifth year, the Ö Eishockey Liga format will undergo a change in phase 1 across its two divisions: the West Division with six teams and the East Division 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, likewise 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. A play-off pick after the regular season will again add extra excitement in the coming campaign. The highest-placed team in each of the West and East Divisions may select its quarter-final opponent from the team placed 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.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Entry list 2025/2026

EAST DIVISION | 5 teams

ATSE Graz

HDK Maribor

Kapfenberger SV

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden

Wiener Eislauf-Verein

DIVISION WEST | 6 teams

Dornbirner Eishockeyclub Bulldogs

EHC Lustenau

EHC Crocodiles Kundl

HC Kufstein

SC Samina Hohenems

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins

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

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