Sharks Gmunden claim the Ö Eishockey Liga title for the first time!

The SC Samina Hohenems went into Saturday’s decisive second leg of the final against the at the Eisstadion Hohenems in front of more than 1.600 fans, carrying a 0:5 deficit.UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden at Eisstadion Hohenems on Saturday in front of more than __OEHV_NUM_E_A__ fans, carrying a __OEHV_NUM_E_B__ deficit. Following the atmospheric Austrian national anthem, both teams began the final game of the season, which was set to produce a new champion. The hosts made a dream start: after a quick attack, Leon Schmeiser fired from the left face-off circle and gave Sharks goaltender Luka Gračnar no chance to make it 1:0 (4 min). 

The Steinböcke continued to play offensively after taking the early lead, as the Vorarlberg side had little alternative. Johannes Hehle played an ideal pass from behind the net to Fabian Mandlburger, who scored from close range to make it 2:0 (10 min). Gmunden then grew into the game and enjoyed their first extended spell in the offensive zone. The Hohenems defence, together with goaltender Karlo Škec, kept them scoreless. 

On the first power play, Michael Novak brought the puck from behind the extended goal line in front of the net, where Sharks defenceman Jonas Kail deflected it unstoppably into his own goal. The 3:0 for Hohenems made the final highly exciting early on (16 min). After 20 minutes, the Upper Austrians held only a two-goal lead on aggregate following Hohenems' comeback.

Head coach Gregor Baumgartner's team now had to regroup during the first interval in order to get a foothold in the game. The scoreline added to the nerves, and matters quickly got even worse in the second period: Patrick Spannring scored from the slot with the first attacking sequence after exactly 32 seconds to make it 4:0 (21 min). 

A line-change error by the hosts suddenly presented the Sharks with an opportunity, and Alwin Schuster converted an ideal cross-ice pass from Laurens Ober to make it 1:4 (27 min). The Sharks had now arrived in the game, but immediately afterwards failed to capitalise on a power play. The Champions Hockey League format now really came into play, and the match, which had been very fair up to that point, became a thriller. After 40 minutes, the visitors still held a two-goal advantage. 

In the final period, both teams played with defensive cover, but the game remained an open end-to-end contest. Initially, clear-cut chances were lacking at both ends, until Elias Koller found himself alone in front of the Hohenems net and missed the big opportunity to all but decide the contest. Time was running out for SC Hohenems with every shift, and head coach Thomas Sticha had to go "All In", pulling goaltender Karlo Škec for a sixth skater six and a half minutes from the end. 

The Sharks from Lake Traunsee took perfect advantage of this phase: first, veteran Marc-André Dorion scored into the empty net to make it 2:4 (57 min). Just under a minute later, Patrick Gaffal scored the next empty-netter to make it 3:4, finally securing the Upper Austrians their first Ö Eishockey Liga title as they won the final with an aggregate score of 8:4. 

Following the Austrian national anthem, ÖEHV representative Anna Biber (National Teams Sports Coordinator), ÖEHV representative Peter Schweda (Competitions | Game Operations) and ÖEHV Referee-in-Chief Gerhard Schiffauer, who also honoured the officiating team, presented the medals before the Sharks lifted the championship trophy and the title celebrations began with fireworks.

First leg: 5:0 for UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden - UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden Austrian champions of the Ö Eishockey Liga with an aggregate score of 8:4 - season 2024/2025.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Playoffs - Final

Second leg of the final:

SC Samina Hohenems vs. UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden 4:3 (3:0,1:1,0:2)

Sat, 15 March 2025, 18:00, Eisstadion Hohenems

SC Hohenems goalscorers: Leon Schmeiser (at 03:03), Fabian Mandlburger (at 09:35), Michael Novak (at 15:51, PP1), Patrick Spannring (at 20:32)

Sharks Gmunden goalscorers: Alwin Schuster (at 26:03), Marc-André Dorion (at 56:31, EN), Patrick Gaffal (at 57:56, EN)

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden with an overall score of 8:4 Austrian champions of the Ö Eishockey Liga – 2024/2025 season.

Final first leg:

UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden vs. SC Samina Hohenems 5:0 (2:0,2:0,1:0)
Sat., 08 March 2025, 18:30, Muki Eisarena Gmunden
Sharks Gmunden goalscorers: Alwin Schuster (at 15:39), Mathias Haiböck (at 16:45), Markus Krotsch (at 26:19), Mario Pichler (at 31:31), Marc-André Dorion (at 51:50, PP1)

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

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