Play-offs begin with the quarter-final first legs – from now on, only the aggre­gate score counts!

1st EHC Althofen host SC Hohenems

The 1st EHC Althofen will face Western Group winners – SC Samina Hohenems 1974. Both teams reached the semi-finals of last season’s play-offs. Althofen lost to eventual champions Wattens after a thrilling second leg that went to overtime, while the Vorarlberg side were beaten by Kapfenberg.

During the group stage, the Carinthians were locked in a long battle with Steindorf for top spot and, in the week before the second leg in Hohenems, will also be contesting the semi-finals of the Carinthian AHC Division 1. SC Hohenems, too, were involved in a lengthy duel for first place in the Western Group, which the Vorarlberg side ultimately secured ahead of HC Kufstein.

Gerald Ressmann, Head Coach of 1. EHC Althofen: "Hohenems have a large squad with experienced players from the AHL and the Bundesliga. They have three or four very good individual players. In my view, the level in the Western Group is slightly higher than in the other two groups. Unlike the other groups, the Southern Group has an additional workload. We are also playing the Carinthian semi-final (two additional games per week). It will depend on my team’s energy levels and whether I will have the entire squad available. In the CHL format, the focus will be on conceding as few goals as possible!"

Pascal Kainz, captain of SC Samina Hohenems 1974: "We were determined to secure a full win in the final game of the regular season in order to enter the play-offs with a positive feeling. We managed that very well. Now we face Althofen in the quarter-finals. We know some of the Carinthian players, but it is still difficult for us to assess them. We expect two close games in which the small details will be decisive."

WEV challenge ESC SoccerZone Steindorf

The Wiener Eislauf-Verein will host Southern Group leaders ESC SoccerZone Steindorf in the quarter-final first leg at Vienna’s Heumarkt. The Viennese booked the final play-off spot after a sensational final weekend, with a win away to previously dominant group winners Kapfenberg and a home victory in the head-to-head clash with ATSE Graz, and are riding a wave of euphoria.

The Carinthians have grown stronger from game to game this season and most recently celebrated four consecutive victories. The two teams had already faced each other once in pre-season ahead of the current campaign. At the Gösser Cup in Kapfenberg at the beginning of October, Steindorf came back from 0:2 down to beat WEV 4:2 in the second semi-final.

Mario Kubeczka, player-coach of Wiener Eislauf-Verein: "We played a pre-season game against Steindorf, in which they impressively demonstrated the quality within this team. The Steindorf squad is packed with players with plenty of former EBEL/ICE experience. We have been warned about Steindorf, as we know they do not need many chances to score goals. Our focus will be on defence. If we play as consistently for 60 minutes as we did last weekend, anything is possible. As we will be playing our first play-off game at the legendary Heumarkt and have our fantastic fans behind us, that could perhaps even be a small advantage for us. We are excited and looking forward to the games against Steindorf!"

Robert Moser, Head Coach of ESC SoccerZone Steindorf: "We are looking forward to the game at the Heumarkt. That is naturally a home advantage for the Viennese. I know some young former Caps players from my time at VSV. We know that WEV play a very physical game. We will prepare for that and certainly will not be surprised. We do not want to play passively in Vienna."

VEU Feldkirch underdogs against Kapfenberger SV

League newcomers VEU Feldkirch earned their place in the playoffs with strong performances and celebrated notable successes ahead of their quarter-final clash with North-East Group winners Kapfenberger SV in the Ö Eishockey Liga. They recorded four wins against defending champions Wattens Penguins, while the VEU also claimed two victories in the first two prestigious derbies against SC Hohenems.

The Vorarlberg side are considered strong at home, having recorded seven home wins at the Vorarlberghalle. Kapfenberger SV were on course to win every game in the regular season. It was only in the 15th and final game of the preliminary round that their streak ended against WEV. The Styrians reached the final last year and lost to Wattens; this year, the title can be their only objective.

Thomas Sticha, Head Coach VEU Feldkirch: "Kapfenberg are a very experienced team with good individual players. That is why they have had a good season so far and only lost their final game. We are naturally the underdogs in these games and will try to cause an upset. We have now played a number of games in the ÖEL and have learned how to deal with certain situations. We will try to be proactive and make use of our youth. However, we also need to play intelligently in order to give our opponents very few scoring chances. If we manage that, we can also put in good performances against Kapfenberg. Playoff series are always something special, and we are already looking forward to the upcoming games against Kapfenberg!"

Kris Reinthaler, player-coach Kapfenberger SV: "VEU Feldkirch have certainly proved themselves more than enough already; they are a very dangerous team. They have beaten the defending champions four times. From what I have seen in the videos so far, they play very hungry, very aggressive and very fast ice hockey. For us, that means we really have to be ready from the first minute to the last. As we know, every goal counts and every mistake can be decisive. I believe that, by travelling the day before, we are perfectly prepared and have the best conditions to make a very good start to the playoffs. We will have two more intensive training sessions and look at what we did badly in the last game and where we fell short. We are looking forward to it; the fun part of the season starts now!"

EV Zeltweg Murtal Lions host HC Kufstein

Both clubs missed out on the playoffs last year; this season, one team from the fourth quarter-final, EV Zeltweg Murtal Lions against HC Kufstein will advance straight to the semi-finals.

Alongside the teams' performances, the displays of the key players will be decisive. Oliver Setzinger for the Murtal Lions, who scored all five goals in the 5:4 overtime win against ATSE Graz in the penultimate regular-season game, or Kufstein's complementary Czech attacking duo of David Hrazdira and Martin Kosnar could make the difference.

Christian Mayerl, Chairman EV Zeltweg Murtal Lions: "We have absolutely no idea what awaits us next Saturday, so we will focus on the basics. We will train with focus during the week and then throw everything into it. In CHL mode, every goal can be decisive, so the plan is to concede as few as possible and score as many as we can. We are looking forward to these two games, the big names at Kufstein and the challenge of facing such a team. The statistics speak volumes, but they did for Hohenems last season too..."

Ivo Novotny, Head Coach HC Kufstein: "The videos I have seen so far show that EV Zeltweg Murtal Lions play a different kind of ice hockey to what we play in the West Group. They try to slow the game down and have good puck control. It will be important to impose our tempo on them. They have outstanding individual players whom we need to contain. If we stick to our game plan, I see a good chance of being successful in Zeltweg."

Playoff format

From the quarter-finals onwards, the match-ups will be decided in a first and second leg under the Champions Hockey League (CHL) format. The club that finished higher in the regular season starts with the away game.

The aggregate result from the two matches played will be used. The team leading on aggregate after the first and second legs will advance to the semi-finals. Should the aggregate score be level at the final buzzer after 120 minutes, the decision will be made in a ten-minute three-on-three overtime and, if necessary, a penalty shootout with five shooters per team.

This means there will be no overtime in the first leg. Each first leg will end after 60 minutes either in a draw or with a win in regulation time.

Ö Eishockey Liga playoff quarter-final first legs

Quarter-final 1 – first leg:

1. EHC Althofen vs. SC Samina Hohenems 1974
Sat, 11 February 2023, 17:00, Stadthalle Althofen

Quarter-final 2 – first leg:

Wiener Eislauf-Verein vs. ESC SoccerZone Steindorf
Sat, 11 February 2023, 18:00, WEV Arena, Am Heumarkt

Quarter-final 3 – first leg:

VEU Feldkirch vs. Kapfenberger SV
Sat, 11 February 2023, 19:30, Vorarlberghalle

Quarter-final 4 – first leg:

EV Zeltweg Murtal Lions vs. HC Kufstein
Sat, 11 February 2023, 19:00, Aichfeldhalle

ÖEL matches will be shown on the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation's new livestreaming platform at LIVE.eishockey.at .

All Ö Eishockey Liga standings, statistics and fixtures in the Gamecentre

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