Sharks Gmunden win at WEV, leaders in the East – Maribor edge ATSE Graz in derby thriller

In the East Division on Saturday, Wiener Eislauf-Verein faced reigning champions UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden at Steffl Arena Hall 3 in Vienna’s Kagran district. WEV had the first power play early on and moved the puck well, but failed to find the net. Both teams engaged in an intense battle in the first period, with good chances at both ends, but WEV netminder Moritz Merkader and Sharks goalie Luka Gračnar were up to speed from the outset.

Shortly after the midway point of the opening period, the Traunsee side had their first man advantage but could not get the puck into the opposition net. The Viennese then repeatedly created good attacking situations, aided by intense forechecking.

Sharks Gmunden took the lead early in the second period. Following a counter-attack sparked by a simple pass from Ian Motil, Bastian Szieber broke in alone on Merkader and scored to make it 1:0 for the defending champions (23 on the clock).

Head coach Philipp Ullrich’s team then had to kill off two penalties in succession, preserving their narrow deficit with the help of netminder Merkader. The game became more emotional, with Sharks’ Jonas Kail and WEV player Nils Granitz exchanging pleasantries. Shortly afterwards, Marc-André Dorion and Lukas Pohl had a brief altercation. The Upper Austrians scored on the siren, but the second period had already ended.

WEV had a power play just seconds into the final period, but again could not register a goal. Head coach Gregor Baumgartner’s team were more efficient at the other end: Elias Koller scored from close range to make it 2:0 (47 on the clock).

The Viennese then had two further power plays, but the Upper Austrians again stood firm defensively. WEV tried everything and pulled goalie Merkader during a four-on-four situation. Denis Simek fired home the goal that made it 1:2 with just under two minutes remaining (59 on the clock). The game suddenly became highly dramatic, but Gmunden ultimately won 2:1 to take top spot ahead of Kapfenberg.

HDK Maribor edge ATSE Graz in derby thriller

HDK Maribor faced ATSE Graz in the Styrian derby in the East Division at Ledna dvorana Maribor on Saturday. The match between the twin towns – the capital of Štajerska and the Styrian provincial capital are only around 70 kilometres apart – began with brisk attacks at both ends. However, both teams lacked passing accuracy in the opening minutes. There were several unnecessary turnovers, but an intense battle developed.

The Foxes had their first power play five minutes before the end of the period, but could not convert their man advantage into the opening goal. There were no clear-cut chances in the first 20 minutes, while Maribor netminder Omar Ždralović and ATSE goalie Gernot Fally also gave little away.

The hosts suddenly took the lead in the second period: shortly after a power play expired, Ian Fingušt scored with a precise shot from the left face-off circle to make it 1:0 for Maribor (26 on the clock). Graz now had to play more offensively, but the Slovenians were solid defensively and repeatedly dangerous on the attack. The match became increasingly fast-paced as it progressed and remained an exciting affair. ATSE successfully killed off another penalty shortly after the halfway point of the game.

Following a face-off win on the left side of the offensive zone, Cornelius Kaschnig fired home to level the score at 1:1 for Graz with two and a half minutes remaining in the period (38 on the clock). Shortly afterwards, ATSE player Moritz Ausperger was ejected after a cross-check with a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty, with head coach Jure Verlič’s team carrying most of the power-play time into the final period.

Head coach Markus Losch’s team survived this dangerous phase without conceding and then came close to taking the lead. After a power play, Maribor had a great chance to go ahead through Adi Drnda, who had just come directly out of the penalty box, but he was denied by netminder Gernot Fally. The match increasingly turned into a thriller as crunch time began. Nejc Bizjak made Ledna dvorana Maribor erupt when, following an attack down the right, he surprised ATSE goalie Fally with a spectacular shot to make it 2:1 (54 on the clock).

Maribor killed off a penalty at the end and saw out their narrow lead. Tempers flared in the derby at the final whistle, with punches thrown and a flurry of penalties handed out.

West Division:

SC Hohenems celebrate fourth win in four games against EHC Kundl

The EHC Kundl faced SC Samina Hohenems in the West Division at Eisarena Kundl on Friday. Both teams tried from the outset to move quickly through the neutral zone and get in front of the opposition goal. The marquee clash developed into a lively end-to-end affair in the first period, with few stoppages and chances at both ends. The best opportunity fell to Sebastian Schild, who hit the post from the slot.

The visitors also tested Kundl goaltender Jakub Kostelny several times. 28 seconds before the end of the period, the home side took the lead with a superb goal: Alexander Frandl sent a wonderful long pass to new signing Michal Kluka, who fired the puck from the left face-off circle into the top-right corner for 1:0 (20.).

The side from Vorarlberg enjoyed their best spell in the second period. After killing off their first penalty, the Steinböcke pinned Kundl in their defensive zone at five-on-five. Ems then had two consecutive power plays, while Kundl missed three major shorthanded chances in total. Patrick Spannring levelled at 1:1 on the power play after a rebound (33.).

The goals then came thick and fast: just 36 seconds after the equaliser, Kundl were back in front: Maximilian Agerer converted a cross-ice pass from close range for 2:1 (33.). Just 37 seconds later, Marcel Wolf scored from the slot to level at 2:2 for Hohenems (34.). When Kundl went on the power play again, Patrick Spannring fired a superb wrist shot while shorthanded to make it 3:2 and give Hohenems the lead for the first time (38.).

In the final period, the side from Vorarlberg allowed Kundl to press forward and waited cleverly for their opportunities. Michael Novak pounced on one of them to make it 4:2 (48.) after setting it up himself with a trick pass through his own legs. Things became heated in the closing stages: Kundl took a risk, pulled goaltender Kostelny and Maximilian Agerer scored from the blue line to cut the deficit to 3:4 (59.).

21 seconds before the end, Benjamin Kyllönen sealed the win with an empty-net goal for 5:3 (60.). SC Hohenems head into next Friday's big derby against Lustenau at the Reinhalle with four wins from four games.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division EAST:

HDK Maribor vs. ATSE Graz 2:1 (0:0,1:1,1:0)
Sat., 25 October 2025, 18:30, Ledna dvorana Maribor
HDK Maribor scorers: Ian Fingušt (25:26 min.), (53:48 min.)
ATSE Graz scorer: Cornelius Kaschnig (37:25 min.)

Wiener Eislauf-Verein vs. UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden 1:2 (0:0,0:1,1:1)
Sat., 25 October 2025, 19:30, Steffl Arena Hall 3
Wiener Eislauf-Verein scorer: Denis Simek (58:10 min.)
Sharks Gmunden scorers: Bastian Szieber (22:13 min.), Elias Koller (46:19 min.)

KSV Kängurus had a bye.

Ö Eishockey Liga - Division West:

EHC Kundl vs. SC Samina Hohenems 3:5 (1:0,1:3,1:2)
Fri., 24 October 2025, 19:30, Eisarena Kundl
EHC Kundl scorers: Michal Kluka (19:32), Maximilian Agerer (32:52, 58:06)
SC Hohenems scorers: Patrick Spannring (32:16/PP1, 37:16/SH1), Marcel Wolf (33:29), Michael Novak (47:55), Benjamin Kyllönen (59:39/EN)

Dornbirner EC Bulldogs vs. EHC Lustenau
Sun., 26 October 2025, 17:30, Messestadion - >> to the livestream

HC Kufstein vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins - cancelled - new date to follow

Ö Eishockey Liga format 2025/2026

The Ö Eishockey Liga gets the new season under way on 4 October 2025 with the first matchday. In its fifth year, the format will see a change in Phase 1 in both divisions: West, with six teams, and East, with five teams. In the East Division, the upcoming season will feature a two-and-a-half round robin, resulting in 20 games per team. In the West Division, as in the previous season, two home-and-away rounds will be played, also resulting in 20 games per team.

After Phase 1, an inter-regional play-off will once again take place, beginning with the quarter-finals on 07 February 2026. The upcoming season will again feature a play-off pick after the regular season to add extra excitement. The highest-placed team in each of the West and East Divisions may choose its quarter-final opponent from the third- or fourth-placed team in the other division. From the quarter-finals through the semi-finals to the final, the play-off match-ups will each be decided in a best-of-three series (H/A/H) from next season onwards.

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

Follow the Ö Eishockey Liga on Instagram and Facebook!