Successful final test: Austria beat Slovenia 4:1 in their last World Championship warm-up

In front of around 2.400 fans, Austria brought Slovenia to their knees with their disciplined style of play at the Heidi Horten-Arena in Klagenfurt. This means the final test ahead of the World Championship 2026, which begins on 15 May in Zurich and Fribourg, was a success. The ÖEHV selection opens against Great Britain on 16 May, followed by a clash with Hungary on 17 May. Austria's goals were scored by Peter Schneider (at 30, at 60/EN), Leon Kolarik (at 31) and Benjamin Nissner (at 47).

09 May 20264 min read

“This win naturally gives us confidence. I think it was deserved over 60 minutes and gives us a good feeling,” said Head Coach Roger Bader, who was satisfied. His team dominated for long stretches, at times creating chances almost every minute. However, they were initially unable to score. The momentum shifted from the 15th minute onwards, after Bernd Wolf was first sent to the penalty box, Tim Harnisch received a 2+2-minute penalty in the 18th minute and Peter Schneider was also sent to the sin bin during it.

However, they were aggressive and disciplined on the penalty kill, allowing hardly any chances. And when they did, Atte Tolvanen proved a reliable last line of defence. The goalkeeper was also named Player of the Game after the final whistle.

After killing off the penalties, Austria found their rhythm again. Following a puck win by Dominic Zwerger in the neutral zone, the Switzerland-based player charged towards goal with Peter Schneider and set him up to score the 1:0 under pressure (at 30). Shortly afterwards, Clemens Unterweger fired from the blue line, with the puck deflecting off Leon Kolarik's shin and into the net for 2:0 (at 31).

The final period at times drifted along somewhat, but Austria remained in control. At 47, they worked their way perfectly into the offensive zone, where Kolarik passed to Benjamin Nissner, who had time to settle the puck and picked out the target for 3:0.

At 53, Filip Sitar put Slovenia on the scoreboard. Towards the end of the game, the visitors pulled their goalkeeper and Peter Schneider capitalised to seal the 4:1 final score (at 60).

Head Coach Roger Bader: “I could not have wished for anything more than exactly that, because this game prepares us for Great Britain and Hungary. Slovenia were difficult to play against, and that is what awaits us next week too. Our build-up play was OK, but we still had too many turnovers, including in the O-zone.”

The final cut is now still to come. The World Championship squad is expected to be announced on Sunday.

World Championship preparation

Austria vs. Slovenia 4:1 (0:0, 2:0, 2:1)
Sat, 09 May, 16:20, Heidi Horten-Arena, Klagenfurt
Austria goalscorers: Peter Schneider (at 30, at 60/EN), Leon Kolarik (at 31), Benjamin Nissner (at 47)
Slovenia goalscorers: Filip Sitar (at 53)
Game Sheet

Already played
Latvia vs. Austria 3:4 (0:1, 3:3, 0:0)
Wed, 8 April 2026, 18:30, Riga (LAT)
Austria goalscorers: Maximilian Rebernig (at 9), Benjamin Nissner (at 21), Luca Erne (at 29), Lucas Thaler (at 39/PP)
Latvia goalscorers: Karlis Ozolins (at 30), Glebs Prohorenkovs (at 33/PP), Deniss Smirnovs (at 36)
Game Sheet

Latvia vs. Austria 1:0 (0:0, 0:0, 1:0)
Thu, 9 April 2026, 18:30, Riga (LAT)
Latvia goalscorer: Oskars Lapinski (at 51)
Game Sheet

Austria vs. Italy 3:2 (0:0, 2:1, 0:1, 1:0)
Thu, 16 April 2026, 19:00, Dornbirn
Austria goalscorers: Benjamin Nissner (at 27, at 29/PP), Peter Schneider (at 65)
Italy goalscorers: Bryce Misley (at 30), Tommaso De Luca (at 55)
Game Sheet

Austria vs. Czechia 1:5 (0:2, 1:1, 0:2)
Thu, 23 April 2026, 19:00, Steffl Arena Vienna
Austria goalscorer: Leon Kolarik (at 32)
Czechia goalscorers: Michael Spacek (at 5), Dominik Kubalik (at 8), Daniel Tomasek (at 31), Filip Kral (at 43), Daniel Vozelinek (at 56)
Game Sheet

Czechia vs. Austria 4:0 (1:0, 1:0, 2:0)
Fri, 24 April 2026, 17:30, Jihlava (CZE)
Czechia goalscorers: David Tomasek (at 18), Michael Spacek (at 28, at 46/PP), Marcel Marcel (at 57)

Austria vs. Germany 3:4 (0:1, 1:1, 2:2)
Thu, 30 April 2026, 19:00, Zell am See
Austria goalscorers: Patrick Söllinger (at 26), Mario Huber (at 41), Thimo Nickl (at 47/PP)
Germany goalscorers: Stefan Loibl (at 5, at 55), Alexander Blank (at 37), Daniel Fischbuch (at 48)
Game Sheet

Germany vs. Austria 5:2 (2:0, 1:0, 2:2)
Sat, 2 May 2026, 17:00, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER)
Germany goalscorers: Maximilian Kastner (at 8), Alexander Blank (at 13), Alexander Karachun (at 40), Daniel Fischbuch (at 56/PP), Tim Brunnhuber (at 60/EN)
Austria goalscorers: Lucas Thaler (at 44), Mario Huber (at 48/PP)
Game Sheet

2026 IIHF ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

15 May 2026 - 31 May 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, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia, Italy

Schedule
Great Britain vs. Austria
Sat, 16 May 2026, 12:20, Swiss Life Arena

Austria vs. Hungary
Sun, 17 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena

Latvia vs. Austria
Tue, 19 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena

Austria vs. Switzerland
Wed, 20 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena

Austria vs. Germany
Sat, 23 May 2026, 20:20, Swiss Life Arena

Finland vs. Austria
Sun, 24 May 2026, 20:20, Swiss Life Arena

USA vs. Austria
Tue, 26 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena

Information on World Championship ticket sales at 2026.iihfworlds.com!
Link to World Championship tickets for Zurich and Fribourg (Ticketcorner.ch)
Link to individual Austria matches - (Ticketcorner.ch)
Link to World Championship packages featuring Austria matches - (Ticketcorner.ch)

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