West Group gets under way this weekend – WEV take on runners-up Kapfen­berg

Champions WSG Swarovksi Wattens - Penguins open the regular season in the West and are away to HC Kufstein Dragons.

Kufstein narrowly missed out on a play-off place in the inaugural season and have therefore clearly defined reaching the play-offs as their objective. The Dragons from the fortress town have strengthened their squad selectively and with great purpose in pursuit of this goal.

Florian Eder and Manuel Eder, two home-grown players, have returned from the Alps Hockey League. However, Manuel Eder's season is already over before it has even begun after he suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in a pre-season game. Martin Kosnar and David Hrazdira, two import players from the Czech Republic, are also new to the squad, with both expected to provide more offensive power in the Kufstein attack. 

Penguins Head Coach Jaro Betka wants his team to once again deliver outstanding ice hockey performances at the Alpenstadion and has set reaching the final and defending the title as the objectives. For the opener at the Eisarena Kufstein, the successful Wattens coach expects strong, hard-fighting Dragons.

Ivo Novotny, Head Coach HC Kufstein: "The team has trained well and won three of five friendlies. Manuel Eder's absence is very bitter for us. We will not be able to replace him with the same quality. Now it is time for things to finally get under way; you can now see with one or two players that the motivation for pre-season is waning and the desire for proper games is growing. I am looking forward to the match against Wattens. They have a very good and experienced team. It certainly will not be easy, but I believe we have a good chance."

Jaro Betka, Head Coach WSG Swarovski Wattens - Penguins: "Our goal again this year is to delight our Penguins' loyal fans with great ice hockey! We definitely want to reach the ÖEL final again and defend our title. We have strengthened considerably and selectively with the two young players David Lupinski and Valentin Hammerle, as well as a familiar face in Wattens, returning player Julian Jagersbacher. I am convinced that these newcomers will bring a great ice hockey spirit to the team. Kufstein will again be a very tough opponent, but my priority is to play fairly and win!"

VEU begin their ÖEL adventure against Crocodiles Kundl

The arrival of VEU Feldkirch is attracting plenty of attention in the Ö Eishockey Liga. The traditional club from the Ländle makes its first appearance at the Eisarena Kundl against EHC Crocodiles Kundl.

Vorarlberger Eishockey Union brings plenty of flair and Austrian ice hockey history to the ÖEL. Games at the Vorarlberghalle are something special for every ice hockey team, while the Ländle derby against SC Hohenems in particular promises emotions and pure ice hockey passion. Head Coach Thomas Sticha wants to establish his very young team in the ÖEL and develop it continuously. 

The Crocodiles from Kundl once again enter the season aiming to reach the inter-regional play-offs. In the first campaign, the team coached by Finnish Head Coach Mika Pertillä only fell to 1st-placed EHC Althofen in the quarter-finals. As the new ice surface at the Eisarena Kundl was only installed late, the team had ice time in Kitzbühel and Telfs during pre-season and must make up a training deficit.

Gerhard Maier, Chairman of EHC Crocodiles Kundl: "Our objective for the season is to reach the play-off places, which will certainly not be an easy undertaking. We have replaced ten departures with many young players, so we still need to find our feet as a team. Given that we are still significantly behind the visitors in terms of training, we are more of the underdogs. However, we hope to make use of our home advantage."

Thomas Sticha, Head Coach VEU Feldkirch: "The mood within the team is good and everyone is already looking forward to the start of the ÖEL. I have heard nothing but positive feedback from around the club. It is clear that it will not be an easy season and that we will certainly have to learn some lessons along the way, but the players and coaching staff are aware of that. The most important thing is that we continue to develop and take the next step. We must not forget that the majority of this squad were still playing in the Austrian U18 Championship last year. Developing young players is important, and the 'older' players in the team also contribute to that. We want to win games this season and not simply be there to provide points for others. However, it certainly will not be made easy for us. My aim is that, at the end of the season, progress will be visible both in the individual players and in our system of play."

SC Hohenems host Innsbrucker Junghaie

Co-favourites SC SAMINA Hohenems will welcome the Junghaie of HC TIWAG Innsbruck II to the Eisstadion Herrenried on Sunday. The Innsbruck side are a young, ambitious team visiting the Herrenriedstadion in Hohenems. Coach Werner Strele's Sharks are already in the midst of the U20 league season and arrive in the Ländle well drilled.

After their debut season last year, in which Hohenems finished the regular season unbeaten, the Emser's objective in the Ö Eishockey Liga is clear: reaching the final. With VEU Feldkirch joining the league, the Steinböcke are also looking forward to some explosive derbies.

Bernd Schmidle, Head Coach SC SAMINA Hohenems: "It will naturally depend on the line-up the Tyroleans bring, but I still see us as clear favourites. In Janik Heisig and Jonas Meschnig, we have also brought in two young players who naturally still have to prove themselves. Derbies in the Ländle are always something special and will certainly draw a great crowd."

Andreas Sarg, Assistant Coach HC TIWAG Innsbruck - Die Haie II: "The ÖEL is naturally a special challenge for our young players. There are plenty of Tyrolean and Western derbies, plenty of spectators, and then testing themselves in senior hockey – they can only benefit from it. Naturally, we want to play successfully, but strictly speaking that is secondary. Our task is to gradually introduce the young players to the first team and, in future, bring even more Tyrolean players with Sharks genes into the senior squad. I see a great deal of potential and talent in this team. We will be a team that can compete, keep up and also spring surprises!"

North-East Group: WEV take on Kapfenberg

Following their 7:4 opening win against ATSE Graz last Saturday, runners-up Kapfenberger SV immediately continue with their next home game. Next weekend, the Kängurus will host the Wiener Eislauf-Verein in a clash between the winners from the first matchday.

Following their hard-fought 6:5 overtime win over the Murtal Lions in Zeltweg, having fallen behind five times, the Viennese arrive in the steel city brimming with confidence. The visitors will need to keep a particularly close eye on KSV goal-getter Florian Hoppl, who recorded a six-point game (3 goals, 3 assists) in the opener.

Kris Reinthaler, player-coach Kapfenberger Kängurus: "We did not start very well against ATSE Graz, reacting instead of taking the initiative, and after falling behind we found it very difficult to get ourselves going. However, after making some line changes, taking the timeout and then scoring a quick goal to pull one back, we got into the game better again and were ultimately able to win. WEV have a very compact team this year which works very hard; we already saw that in the Gösser Cup, and it has now been confirmed by their win against Zeltweg. We absolutely have to show our best hockey, and do so for the full 60 minutes, otherwise we will struggle again."

Mario Kubeczka, player-coach WEV: "We knew it would be hard work to beat EV Zeltweg - Murtal Lions in front of their own fans. We fell behind five times, but we always believed in ourselves and kept going. Our team spirit and consistent way of playing brought us the win in the end. As the restructuring of our team is in full swing, we still need to fine-tune a few things to improve our game. I think that if we stick to our game plan consistently and stay tight on our opponents, we can trouble KSV. We have to try to keep their key players under control and keep the game open for as long as possible."

Sharks Gmunden host ATSE Graz

For UEHV RAUCH Technology Sharks Gmunden, following the surprising 0:4 defeat to ÖEL newcomers UHT Dukes Graz, it is time to make amends in their first home appearance at the Haifischbecken on Lake Traunsee. The visitors to the Eishalle Gmunden are ATSE Graz, who led Kapfenberg for a long time in the opening round but ultimately had to accept a 4:7 defeat.

Thomas Schatzl, Chairman of UEHV RAUCH Technology Sharks Gmunden: "We hope the arena will be well filled for our first home game, and it will certainly be a different match, as ATSE have older, more experienced players in their squad. The Dukes played with a lot of pace, which we first had to adjust to in the opening period. We hope our goalie Rudi Hummel is fit again after his injury. We also need to score, which was not the case against the Dukes, even though we had far more shots."

Rupert Strohmeier, player-coach of ATSE Graz: "The game against KSV showed us impressively what we still need to work on, even though some things were already working well. With Gmunden, the next difficult challenge awaits us this coming weekend. Even though the Sharks suffered a surprisingly clear defeat in their first game, we will definitely face a different opponent in Gmunden. Of course, a positive result would be good and important for our confidence, so we will do everything we can to secure a three-point win. However, the team needs to be given time, as it will still take a while before all the mechanisms work perfectly."

UHT Dukes Graz face Zeltweg - Murtal Lions

This is how you introduce yourself as newcomers to the league. UHT Dukes Graz showed in their clear 4:0 win over Sharks Gmunden at Merkur Eisstadion Graz that they will be a force to be reckoned with in their debut season. With good pace and efficiency in front of the opposition goal, Head Coach Jurica Bednjanec's team enjoyed a successful start to the season, with goalie Gernot Fally making 32 saves and shining with a shutout.

Now EV Zeltweg - Murtal Lions come to the city on the Mur. The Lions led WEV five times, but left the ice at the Aichfeldhalle as losers after overtime.

Jurica Bednjanec, Head Coach of UHT Dukes Graz: "Starting the season with a win is everyone's wish. However, I would be out of place if I had nothing to criticise. We still have some homework to do. Against the favoured Zeltweg side, we will give our best and start the game as well prepared as possible. We are looking forward to the weekend and hope for plenty of fans!"

Christian Mayerl, Chairman of EV Zeltweg - Murtal Lions: "The overtime defeat was really unfortunate, but we had several very good chances that we unfortunately did not take, and that came back to haunt us. Unfortunately, we ran out of energy in OT, but the spirit was absolutely right. On Saturday, we expect a young, active team that will be difficult to play against. With greater efficiency, we hope to take something away from the game. We certainly will not underestimate the Dukes; the shutout against Gmunden is warning enough. With the right amount of physicality, good decisions on the ice and a lion's heart in our chests, we want to make life as difficult as possible for the Dukes. One or two injured players may already return to the line-up, which would give us a little more depth and should make the task easier. The league looks set to be tight; small details will decide things, and that is what we are working on this week!"

1st matchday, West Group

HC Kufstein vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens - Penguins
Sat, 15 October 2022, 17:35, Eisarena Kufstein

EHC Crocodiles Kundl vs. VEU Feldkirch
Sat., 15 October 2022, 19:30, Eisarena Kundl

SC Hohenems vs. HC TIWAG Innsbruck - Die Haie II
Sun., 16 October 2022, 17:30, Eisstadion Herrenried Hohenems

2nd round, North-East Group

UEHV RAUCH Technology Sharks Gmunden vs. ATSE Graz
Sat., 15 October 2022, 18:15, Eishalle Gmunden

Kapfenberger SV vs. Wiener Eislauf-Verein
Sat., 15 October 2022, 19:00, Stadthalle Kapfenberg

UHT Dukes Graz vs. EV Zeltweg - Murtal Lions
Sat., 15 October 2022, 19:15, Merkur Eisstadion Graz

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