Narrow derby win for Lustenau against Hohenems – Maribor over­turn ATSE Graz

The Vorarlberg derby between the chasing side SC Samina Hohenems and league leaders EHC Lustenau at Herrenried, in front of just under 1.300 fans, was Saturday’s standout Division West fixture and a lively end-to-end affair from the outset. The Lions from the Rhine had the first power play, but found their match in HSC goaltender Karlo Škec during that spell. 

Both teams produced good attacking moves, but were also keen not to make the first major mistake. Late in the first period, the visitors launched a quick counter-attack: Hohenems netminder Škec initially saved Chris D’Alvise’s close-range shot, but the prolific scorer put away the rebound to make it 1:0 (18.).

Early in the second period, the Steinböcke had their first power play, during which Niklas Gehringer converted a rebound with his backhand after a save by Lustenau goaltender Lukas Reihs to level the score at 1:1 (24.). Genuine derby emotions then boiled over for the first time, although the players settled down relatively quickly after a scrum. Lustenau were unable to convert another power play at the midway point of the game, and the derby became more exciting with every shift. 

With five minutes remaining in the period, the Schlittschuhclub had a power play, but goaltender Lukas Reihs kept his team from falling behind. Martin Grabher Meier even had a chance for a shorthanded goal on a swift counter-attack. Just under a minute before the second buzzer, Head Coach Thomas Sticha’s team had another power play, but no further goal was scored. 

Shortly after a power play in the final period, Chris D’Alvise was once again exactly where a top scorer needs to be. From close range, he rounded goaltender Škec with a deke and made it 2:1 for Lustenau (45.). It was crunch time from then on. Both teams failed to convert another power play. Fittingly for the open-air ice hockey festival, snow also began to fall towards the end of the game. 

The hosts took away their chance to play more offensively by taking another penalty. In the end, Hohenems pulled their goaltender, but could not find an equaliser. League leaders EHC Lustenau secured their second derby win over Hohenems and further extended their points advantage at the top of the standings.

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins defeat Dornbirner EC

The WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins faced Dornbirner EC on Saturday at the Wattens ice rink, also known as the Alpenstadion. The first period was evenly balanced, with neither team able to make a decisive impact in the form of a goal. Both sides played attractive ice hockey, but lacked the necessary ruthlessness in front of the opposition net during the opening 20 minutes.

Early in the second period, Noah Polig launched a quick attack and passed to the ideally positioned Marcus Massimo, who netted to make it 1:0 for Wattens (24.). Dornbirn responded swiftly three and a half minutes later, after just five seconds on the power play: following a face-off, Wattens goaltender Wotan Knecht was unable to cover the puck and Jonas Meschnig poked home to make it 1:1 (27.).

The match remained exciting, with the Tyroleans more attack-minded in the final period and pinning the Bulldogs in their own zone at times. The Penguins initially could not find a goal, and it took a power play to regain the lead: Ricards Purins fired from the slot and beat DEC goaltender Kevin Wanger to make it 2:1 (48.). 

The game remained fiercely contested until the end. Dornbirn pulled goaltender Wanger twice, before Noah Polig skated in alone on the empty net and scored 26 seconds before the buzzer to seal the 3:1 final score (60.). The Tyroleans thus celebrated their third win in three direct meetings.

HC Kufstein win derby thriller against EHC Crocodiles Kundl

As early as Friday, EHC Crocodiles Kundl and local rivals HC Kufstein kicked off the new year in the Ö Eishockey Liga in the third district derby of the season at the Eisarena Kundl in front of more than 750 fans. The hosts got off to a dream start: after winning a face-off in their own zone, Matko Pavetic set up Tobias Dinhopel perfectly with a backhand pass. Dinhopel raced into the offensive zone and beat HCK netminder Jakob Sprachmann with a wonderful shot to make it 1:0 (4 min.). 

The Dragons recovered quickly from the early deficit, with goalscorer David Hrazdira appearing in the slot and levelling at 1:1 with a well-placed wrist shot (9 min.). Both teams then failed to convert their respective opportunities with the man advantage. The final minutes of the first period were fiercely contested, with scoring chances at both ends. Kundl had another power play but were unable to add to their tally.

The game lost none of its intensity in the second period. The perennial rivals maintained a good tempo, with scoring opportunities changing rapidly from end to end. Both goaltenders – Jakub Kostelny for the Crocodiles and Jakob Sprachmann for the Dragons – were outstanding. Kundl allowed another power-play opportunity to go to waste. Felix Platzer then brought down Markus Prock on a Kufstein counter-attack. Valentin Hammerle missed the resulting penalty shot, denied by Kostelny. 

Things got really heated shortly afterwards: Lukas Thaler responded to a slash from Dominique Saringer with a slash of his own, but both offences went unpunished. Instead, the gloves came off: Maximilian Camondo, who squared up to Thaler, received a five-minute major plus game misconduct. Kundl had a lengthy power play, but Kufstein won the puck, Clemens Paulweber broke clear and converted the shorthanded opportunity to make it 2:1 (36 min.). 

The home side had to adopt a more attacking approach in the final period but could not capitalise on two further power plays. The derby remained gripping until the end, a New Year thriller. The Dragons sealed the result on a late power play. Captain Dominique Saringer scored from close range to make it 3:1 after initiating the attack himself (59 min.). Kundl pulled netminder Kostelny, but Kufstein allowed nothing more and consolidated third place in the standings with the away win.

Division East:

HDK Maribor overcome ATSE Graz in overtime

For HDK Maribor and ATSE Graz the new year in Division East began as the old one had ended: with a direct clash in the exciting battle for the final play-off place. Graz got off to a dream start in the derby between the Styrian partner cities: Clemens Lennkh won the puck in the neutral zone and played a superb pass to Kilian Schwarz in the offensive zone, who scored after exactly 60 seconds to make it 1:0 (2 min.). 

The importance of the match was evident for both teams as an intense battle developed at the Ledena dvorana Maribor. Buoyed by their early lead, ATSE played strongly and repeatedly established themselves in Maribor's defensive zone for spells. As the first period progressed, the Slovenians also grew increasingly into the game. Eggenberg had the 2:0 at the tip of their stick through Clemens Lennkh, but HDK netminder Lazar Ilić saved the effort from point-blank range.

The visitors also emerged strongly from the dressing room at the start of the second period and applied pressure. The Foxes stood firm to keep the game open. During and after a power play, Maribor enjoyed an offensively strong spell, but ATSE goaltender Paul Mocher could not be beaten. Graz, however, proved more efficient in front of the opposition goal: shortly before the halfway point of the game, Kilian Schwarz hammered the puck into the net from a tight angle to make it 2:0 (30 min.). 

Maribor pulled one back to make it 1:2 on the power play: Aljaž Ribic gave Mocher no chance from the slot (35 min.). The stage was set for a thrilling final period, with Maribor now needing to play even more offensively – and they did. With four and a half minutes remaining, the equaliser arrived: Danilo Tomašević scored from close range to make it 2:2 (55 min.). 

To add to the drama, the Slovenians went straight onto a power play, but ATSE Graz survived this tricky phase. The thriller went to overtime, where Aljaž Ogrizek scored the winner for the hosts to make it 3:2 following a forceful drive (63 min.). The Slovenian Drava city side are now three points ahead of the Mur city side in the standings.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division West:

SC Samina Hohenems vs. EHC Lustenau 1:2 (0:1,1:0,0:1)
Sat., 04 January 2025, 17:30, Eisstadion Hohenems
SC Hohenems scorer: Niklas Gehringer (23:36 min./PP1)
EHC Lustenau scorer: Christopher D’Alvise (at 17:28, at 44:49)

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. Dornbirner EC 3:1 (0:0,1:1,2:0)
Sat, 04 January 2025, 19:30, Wattens Ice Rink
Wattens Penguins scorers: Marcus Massimo (at 23:26), Ricardas Purins (at 47:38/PP1), Noh Polig (at 59:34/EN)
Dornbirner EC scorer: Jonas Meschnig (at 26:05/PP1)

EHC Crocodiles Kundl vs. HC Kufstein 1:3 (1:1,0:1,0:1)
Fri, 03 January 2025, 19:30, Kundl Ice Arena
EHC Crocodiles Kundl scorer: Tobias Dinhopel (at 03:07)
HC Kufstein scorers: David Hrazdira (at 08:45), Clemens Paulweber (at 35:48/SH1), Dominique Saringer (at 58:07/PP1)

EHC Lustenau vs. Dornbirner EC

Mon, 06 January 2025, 17:30, Rheinhalle

EHC Crocodiles Kundl vs. SC Samina Hohenems

Mon, 06 January 2025, 18:00, Kundl Ice Arena

WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. HC Kufstein

Mon, 06 January 2025, 19:30, Wattens Ice Rink

Ö Eishockey Liga – East Division:

HDK Maribor vs. ATSE Graz 3:2 after overtime (0:1,1:1,1:0,1:0)
Sat, 04 January 2025, 18:30, Ledena dvorana Maribor
HDK Maribor scorers: Aljaž Ribic (at 34:56/PP1), Danilo Tomašević (at 54:20), Aljaž Ogrizek (at 62:44)
Goalscorer ATSE Graz: Kilian Schwarz (at 01:00, 29:19)

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden vs. Wiener Eislauf-Verein

Sun, 05 January 2025, 18:30, Eishalle Gmunden

KSV Kängurus vs. UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden

Mon, 06 January 2025, 18:00, Stadthalle Kapfenberg

Wiener Eislauf-Verein vs. ATSE Graz

Mon, 06 January 2025, 18:30, WEV Arena, Lothringerstraße 22

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

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