ÖEHV Youth Leagues: VSV U15 defend title with victory in St. Pölten

As in the previous year, the final of the ÖEHV U15 Championship was between EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV and the Okanagan Hockey Academy/EC Lower Stars Austria joint team. In the 2023/2024 season, Villach won the series 3:1. This time, the contest went the full distance of five games. VSV had won the opener away from home 3:1, before the Lower Austrians levelled the series with a 5:0 victory the following day. 

In Villach, the joint team took a 6:4 lead last Saturday, before the Draustädter edged a 2:1 win the following day to force a deciding game. This made the U15 final series the only one to go the full distance.

The defending champions made the better start in the Lower Austrian capital: Felix Dabringer scored shorthanded after winning the puck at his own blue line and launching the ensuing quick counter-attack to make it 1:0 for VSV (7 minutes). The Blue and Whites added another, with Nico Todor-Kostic (13 minutes) firing home clinically from the left face-off dot to make it 2:0 (13 minutes). Still in the first period, Felx Dabringer increased the lead to 3:0 after a fine one-two with Felix Blaschitz (18 minutes). 

In the second period, the hosts finally got into the game and onto the scoreboard: Sylver Hulzebosch bundled the puck over the line from close range after a scramble to make it 1:3 (24nd minute). The game was now far more open, with the Lower Austrians pushing for a goal to pull one back at times, but it did not come in the middle period. In the final period, VSV made it 4:1 when Lorenz Kircher set up Felix Blaschitz after a determined rush, and he put the puck into the opposition net from close range (45th minute).

When Erik Stöckl pulled one back to make it 2:4 for the Okanagan Hockey Academy/EC Lower Stars Austria joint team with just under eight minutes remaining, the match suddenly became highly exciting again (52nd minute). The home side were unable to turn the game around in the final minutes, while VSV successfully defended their title. VSV’s U15 team were crowned Austrian champions of the ÖEHV U15 Championship 2024/2025.

Third place went to the U15 team of EC Red Bull Salzburg, who prevailed against EC KAC 3:2 after overtime in the only game played.

ÖEHV U15 Championship – Game 5 of the final:

Okanagan Hockey Academy/EC Lower Stars Austria vs. EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV 2:4 (0:3,1:0,1:1)
Wed, 26 March 2025, 17:45, St. Pölten Eissportzentrum NÖ
Scorers for Okanagan Hockey Academy/EC Lower Stars Austria:Sylver Hulzebosch (24), Erik Stöckl (52)
Scorers for EC VSV: Felix Dabringer (7./SH1, 18.), Nico Todor-Kostic (13.), Felix Blaschitz (45.)

The EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV won the best-of-five series with 3:2 and are Austrian champions of the ÖEHV U15 Championship 2024/2025.