Styrian teams in scoring form

In the clash between the two winning teams from round 1, Kapfenberg beat Wiener Eislauf-Verein 5:0, while Graz won 7:1 against UEHV RAUCH Technology Sharks Gmunden in their opening game. With their second win in as many games, Kapfenberg are now the sole league leaders.

There were happy faces all round in Styria. After just 25 seconds, Pierre Graf gave Kapfenberg a 1:0 lead against WEV with the fastest ÖEL goal to date. Just 8:22 minutes later, Graf struck again to make it 2:0. It was a perfect start for the home side in an evenly matched game, and one that also gave them confidence.

The visitors created chances, but were nowhere near as clinical and ruthless in front of goal. Pierre Graf's goal festival continued in the second period: the scoreboard showed 23:02 minutes when Pierre Graf made it 3:0. That was enough for him, and he let his team-mates get in on the act. Shortly before the end of the second period, Kristof Reinthaler added a fourth to make it 4:0. 

WEV showed fighting spirit, but had nothing to show for it. The visitors were also unable to score in the final period, while Matthias Wassermann sealed the 5:0 final score.

Pierre Graf, Kapfenberger SV EHC: "It doesn't matter who scores the goals, as long as we win. It was a good game for us, winning 5:0 and not conceding a goal. It was clearer than expected. I expected the Viennese side to be more aggressive at the start, but we played well from the back and did well on the counter-attacks. Once you are 3:0, 4:0 ahead, everything becomes easier."

Michael Vorlaufer, Head of the senior team: "We still lack experience. That is the big problem: confidence in front of goal, confidence when playing out from the back, confidence on the power play. There are still a few areas to work on, but we will close the gap over the course of the season. Overall, it was a clear win for Kapfenberg today."

There were celebrations in Graz as well, where the home side beat Gmunden 7:1. The visitors scored first, with Andre Flatscher making it 1:0 in the fourth minute. However, the joy of taking the lead was short-lived. Andreas Meixner equalised after 5:56 minutes of play, before Michael Sanin made it 2:1 less than two minutes later. The Upper Austrians continued to battle and sought an equaliser. The quick double from Pirmin Riedmann and Nikola Mörtl towards the end of the third period broke the Sharks' fighting spirit. The home side added another three goals in the third period and claimed their first win in their first ÖEL game with the 7:1 victory.

Kapfenberger SV EHC vs. Wiener Eislauf-Verein 5:0 (2:0, 2:0, 1:0)
Sat, 09 October 2021, 19:00
Kapfenberger SV EHC scorers: Pierre Graf (0:25, A1: Adrian Stühlinger), Pierre Graf (8:47, A1: Lukas Draschkowitz), Pierre Graf (23:02, A1: Adrian Stühlinger), Kristof Reinthaler (38:09, A1: Lukas Draschkowitz), Matthias Wassermann (46:45, A1: Patrick Huppmann)

ATSE Graz vs. UEHV RAUCH Technology Sharks Gmunden 7:1 (2:1, 2:0, 3:0)
Sat, 09 October 2021, 19:30
ATSE Graz scorers: Andreas Meixner (5:56), Michael Sanin (7:41, A1: Pirmin Riedmann, A2: Andreas Meixner), Pirmin Riedmann (37:57, A1: Simon Dreymann, A2: Nino Jus), Nikola Mörtl (39:24, A1: Nikolaus Zierer, A2: Jonas Mayr), Nino Jus (50:35, A1: Cody Wickstrom), Pirmin Riedmann (52:32, A1: Andreas Meixner, A2: Mario Petrovitz), Mario Petrovitz (59:59, A1: Marco Hirschberger, A2: Pirmin Riedmann)
UEHV RAUCH Technology Sharks Gmunden scorers: Andre Flatscher (3:08, A1: Julian Klöckl, A2: Philipp Wieltsch)