VEU Feld­kirch firmly on course for the play­offs after victory in Kundl – Hohenems have secured playoff berth

At Innsbruck's TIWAG Arena, the match between HC TIWAG Innsbruck - Die Haie II and SC SAMINA Hohenems was a lively affair from the outset, with the favourites from Vorarlberg taking a 2:0 lead through two goals in 65 seconds.

Martin Grabher Meier first completed a solo effort in the sixth minute, before Jonas Meschnig converted following a fine combination in the seventh minute. The Junghaie were unlucky towards the end when Sandro Wille's shot came back off the post.

Hohenems quickly wrapped things up with three further goals in the opening five minutes of the second period. Martin Grabher Meier opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a close-range shot. Johannes Hehle made it 4:0 with a low shot in the 25th minute. 52 seconds later, Martin Grabher Meier scored from a rebound to make it 5:0.

Head coach Bernd Schmidle's team did not let up and added further goals. David Slivnik made it 6:0 while short-handed in the 32nd minute. A minute and a half before the end of the period, Martin Grabher Meier completed his four-goal haul to make it 7:0.

In the final period, Christian Haidinger appeared in front of the Innsbruck net and made it 8:0 for SC Hohenems in the 43rd minute. The Steinböcke had then satisfied their hunger for goals. The two goaltenders, Matthias Fritz and Karlo Skec, who had shared the workload, did not concede a goal.

Hohenems therefore reclaim top spot in the West Group and, after HC Kufstein and Kapfenberger SV, become the third team to secure a place in the Ö Eishockey Liga playoffs.

VEU Feldkirch overcome EHC Kundl

The EHC Crocodiles Kundl started the "back-to-back" against the three days after Saturday's 1:4 away defeatVEU Feldkirch three days after Saturday's __OEHV_NUM_P_A__ away defeat, first having to kill a penalty in the third minute before Christian Baierl gave them a 1:0 lead at the Eisarena Kundl in the sixth minute.

Sebastian Schild made it 2:0 for the Crocodiles in the eighth minute, catching VEU Feldkirch off guard. The team from Vorarlberg then tried to work their way into the game, but found Kundl goaltender Johann Bauer too difficult to beat.

In the second period, VEU, who had travelled to Tyrol with only twelve skaters, made the better start. Joonatan Kyllönen pounced on a rebound from a shot by his brother Benjamin to make it 1:2 for the Montfort city side.

Head coach Thomas Sticha's team was suddenly fully alert and pressed on: Yannick Wiedner equalised at 2:2 two minutes later. A minute later, Benjamin Kyllönen was on hand at close range on the power play to give Feldkirch the lead for the first time at 3:2. The Crocodiles were now under pressure, but VEU held on to their narrow lead until the end of the period.

In the final period, the Crocodiles sought an equaliser, but in the 48th minute they had not reckoned with Simon Hämmerle's deft touch. He picked up the puck at centre ice and finished a fine solo effort with a backhand shot to make it 4:2. Kundl did not give up, and Adrian Schuster skated around in front of goal before also scoring with a backhand to reduce the deficit to 3:4 in the 51st minute.

A tense and dramatic closing phase followed. Kayson Arthur Gallant converted a penalty to equalise at 4:4, sending the Kundl arena into raptures. However, knowing that three important points were at stake, VEU hit back as Ricardo Helmut Bell fired the puck in to make it 5:4 in the 57th minute. Kundl then pulled goaltender Bauer, and VEU made them pay twice through Marco Kogler and Simon Hämmerle to eventually win 7:4.

With this victory, the league newcomers took a major step towards the playoffs.

West Group matchday

HC TIWAG Innsbruck - Die Haie II vs. SC Hohenems 0:8 (0:2,0:5,0:1)
Tue, 10 January 2023, 19:00, TIWAG Arena
SC Hohenems scorers: Martin Grabher Meier (05:09, 22:54, 25:12, 38:25), Jonas Meschnig (06:14), Johannes Hehle (24:20), David Slivnik (31:16/SH1), Christian Haidinger (42:53)

EHC Crocodiles Kundl vs. VEU Feldkirch 4:7 (2:0,0:3,2:4)
Tue, 10 January 2023, 19:30
EHC Crocodiles Kundl scorers: Christian Baierl (5:55), Sebastian Schild (07:11), Adrian Schuster (50:12), Kayson Arthur Gallant (54:29/PS)
VEU Feldkirch scorers: Joonatan Kyllönen (22:27), Yannick Wiedner (24:24), Benjamin Kyllönen (25:24/PP1), Simon Hämmerle (47:34, 59:31/EN), Ricardo Helmut Bell (56:15), Marco Kogler (58:57/PP1/EN)

South Group matchday

USC Pirates Velden vs. ESC SoccerZone Steindorf 4:1 (2:0,0:1,2:0)
Mon, 09 January 2023, 19:30, Eishalle Velden
USC Velden scorers: Christian Ban (04:25, 04:25), Benjamin Rassl (56:24), Valentin Leiler (57:13)
ESC SoccerZone Steindorf scorer: Ruslan Gelfanov (38:48)

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