Show­down, Part I: High tension ahead of the final between ESC Stein­dorf and SC Hohenems

And suddenly, there were only two left. SC Samina Hohenems 1974 will play away from home at the Ossiacher See Halle on Saturday in the first leg of the Ö Eishockey Liga championship final against ESC SoccerZone Steindorf.

The Vorarlberg side, who entered the inter-regional playoffs as winners of the West Group, narrowly prevailed against fellow Carinthian side 1. EHC Althofen in the quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 6:5. In the semi-final clash with Kapfenberger SV, the Steinböcke avenged last year's elimination with a 9:5 aggregate score after two games. 

South Group winners Steindorf secured an 11:7 aggregate victory over Wiener Eislauf-Verein in the quarter-finals and, following a narrow home defeat in the semi-finals, won the series 12:7 away to HC Kufstein with a stunning final period.

The Carinthian side, who also contested the AHC Division I final against Althofen, won the best-of-five series 3:1 after a 4:3 overtime victory in Althofen. Having reached the ÖEL final in their 50th anniversary year, Steindorf still have the chance to win two titles. The first title was secured on Thursday.

Playoff statistics ahead of the final

One striking feature of the playoffs so far is that both teams have convincingly won their respective second legs in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals – once away from home and once at home. ESC SoccerZone Steindorf hold the edge on special teams. Head Coach Robert Moser's team converted seven of 20 power-play opportunities (35%) into goals.

In terms of penalty-killing percentage, the team from Lake Ossiach stand at an impressive 92,31 per cent, with Steindorf completing twelve of 13 shorthanded situations without conceding. SC Hohenems have converted only one of 12 power-play opportunities in their four playoff games to date, giving them a rate of 8,33 per cent in this category. On the penalty kill, Head Coach Bernd Schmidle's team were successful in 14 of 17 shorthanded situations, amounting to a rate of 82,85 per cent.

Alongside the special teams, the goaltenders will make the difference in the final: 16-year-old Villach native Paul Steiner has been making waves for Steindorf. The VSV loanee has featured in all four playoff games and played all 240 minutes. He allowed 14 goals from 106 shots on goal, an average of 3,5. This gives him a save percentage of 86,8%.

For Hohenems, Matthias Fritz played a total of 141:55 minutes in three games, conceding five goals from 54 shots on his net, an average of 2,11 per game and a save percentage of 90,7%. Karlo Skec played 98:05 minutes and also conceded five goals from 54 shots in two games. This equates to an average of 3,06 goals conceded and a save percentage of 90,7%. 

Steindorf's top three offensive players are Markus Pöck with nine points (3 goals/6 assists), Christof Martinz with eight points (4 goals/4 assists) and Kristian Kravanja with seven points (3 goals/4 assists). Franz Wilfan is fourth, also with seven points (2 goals/5 assists).

Christian Haidinger has excelled for Hohenems in the playoffs so far, recording seven points (4 goals/3 assists). He is followed by Johannes Hehle with four points (2 goals/2 assists), and Marcel Wolf and Jürgen Fussenegger, who also have four points each (1 goal/3 assists). 

Robert Moser, Head Coach ESC SoccerZone Steindorf: "Because of our double workload, Hohenems are clearly the favourites in my view. They can prepare for the final at their leisure, while we have had to play three games a week for five weeks. I also see an advantage in goal. They have two experienced goaltenders, while we are heading into the final with 16- and 18-year-old goalkeepers. However, if we have enough energy left, we have a squad capable of winning this final. We are looking forward to facing Hohenems!"

Bernd Schmidle, Head Coach SC Samina Hohenems 1974: "Unfortunately, I do not know our final opponents at all. But they have some well-known players in their ranks and, judging by their result against Kufstein, they are a very good team, so we will need to produce another top performance. There will be some video analysis, and we will prepare as thoroughly as possible for the first game in Steindorf."

Playoff format

The final will also be decided over a first and second leg under the Champions Hockey League (CHL) format. The club that finished higher in the regular season begins with the away game. The aggregate score from both games will be used. The team leading on aggregate after the first and second legs will be crowned Ö Eishockey Liga champions. Should the aggregate score be level at the final buzzer after 120 minutes, the winner will be decided in a ten-minute three-on-three overtime and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out with five shooters per team. This means there is no overtime in the first leg. The first leg ends after 60 minutes in either a draw or a win in regulation time.

Ö Eishockey Liga Playoff Final

First leg:

ESC SoccerZone Steindorf vs. SC Samina Hohenems 1974
Sat., 11 March 2023, 17:30, Ossiacher See Halle

Second leg:

SC Samina Hohenems 1974 vs. ESC SoccerZone Steindorf
Sat., 18 March 2023, 18:30, Herrenriedstadion

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