Second game, second win – Austria battle past Hungary 4–2

Mathematically speaking, with their second win, Austria has not yet secured relegation. But with the victories over direct competitors Great Britain and Hungary at the start of the 2026 World Championship in Zurich (SUI), this is as good as fixed. The ÖEHV camp is now setting its sights on the next goal and that is to achieve the third victory in the tournament. If this succeeds, we can even talk about the quarter-finals again.

"The relief is of course great. Staying in the league is always the first goal, I have always emphasized that. If you lose these two games, you are right in the middle of the fight to avoid relegation. With these two wins, we have almost achieved our first goal. The next goal is the third win, whenever and against whomever. If we manage to do that, we will set new goals for ourselves," it also said Head coach Roger Bader satisfied and relieved at the end of the game.

The start to the game against our neighbors was once again successful. Vinzenz Rohrer made it 1-0 in the power play after five minutes. But Hungary had more of the game overall in the first period and was sometimes extremely aggressive in the duels. And we kept testing Atte Tolvanen, who was allowed to play against Hungary. Like Austria, Hungary was also successful in the power play and made it 1-1 in the 12th minute.

An open middle third ended without goals, but the final period became a battle of nerves. First, Dominic Zwerger put his team back in the lead with a powerful shot in the power play, only 44 seconds later Thimo Nickl made it 3-1. Austria was heading for the second victory they had hoped for, but then found themselves twice outnumbered in the 53rd minute. Hungary didn't miss this to make it 2:3.

Just under two minutes before the end of the game, our neighbors pulled their goaltender and created some top-class chances. But Atte Tolvanen didn't let himself be surprised, held on to the lead for his team and Thimo Nickl finally used three seconds before the end of the game to make the final score 4-2 into the empty net.

Head coach Roger Bader: "We were a bit excited because the resistance was great, even if we expected it. We knew what was coming. After 40 minutes, the motto was patience, don't be nervous. I told the boys that we play ice hockey because of games like these. Dominic Zwerger steered the game in the right direction with his goal. The players showed an incredible fight, especially at the end in the five-on-six. These are also experiences that shape a team."

Lucas Thaler: "It was exactly what we expected. The Hungarians played a very tough game. We had to stay calm. It took a while until we scored the goals. In the end we still worked hard for this victory. I think our core team is doing a really good job. We have a very good chemistry in the team. Everyone is there for everyone and that shows. Of course it was good to be 3-1 up, but we know that it can happen quickly. We worked well and deserved to win. It's of course very It’s nice to start the tournament with two wins. Now our first goal has been achieved.”

2026 IIHF ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

May 15, 2026 - May 31, 2026, Zurich and Fribourg (SUI)
Defending champions: USA
Group A, Zurich: USA, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain
Group B, Fribourg: Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia, Italy

Schedule
Austria vs. Hungary 4:2 (1:1, 0:0, 3:1)
Sun., May 17, 2026, 4:20 p.m., Swiss Life Arena
Goalscorers Austria: Vinzenz Rohrer (6th/PP), Dominic Zwerger (47th/PP), Thimo Nickl (48th, 60th)
Goalscorers Hungary: Istvan Sofron (12./PP), Peter Vincze (54./PP)
Game sheet

Latvia vs. Austria
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 4:20 p.m., Swiss Life Arena
Live on ORF 1

Austria vs. Switzerland
Wed., May 20, 2026, 4:20 p.m., Swiss Life Arena
Live on ORF 1

Austria vs. Germany
Sat., May 23, 2026, 8:20 p.m., Swiss Life Arena
Live on ORF SPORT+

Finland vs. Austria
Sun., May 24, 2026, 8:20 p.m., Swiss Life Arena
Live on ORF SPORT+

USA vs. Austria
Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 4:20 p.m., Swiss Life Arena
Live on ORF 1

Already played
Great Britain vs. Austria 2:5 (2:3, 0:2, 0:0)
Sat., May 16, 2026, 12:20 p.m., Swiss Life Arena, 7,974 spectators
Goalscorers Great Britain: David Clements (16th), Liam Kirk (17th)
Goalscorers Austria: Benjamin Nissner (3rd), Peter Schneider (7th, 27th), Paul Huber (10th), Leon Wallner (34th)
Game sheet

Ticketing
Information about World Championship ticket sales 2026.iihfworlds.com
Link to World Championship tickets for Zurich and Fribourg 
Link to individual games with Austria 
Link to World Championship packages with the Austria games