Win in first Olympic qual­i­fying test: Austria edge Slovenia in over­time

"It is certainly a deserved win," said Head Coach Roger Bader after the 2:1, pleased. Apart from a weak spell in the second period, Austria were the more dominant team throughout the game. 40:15 shots on goal also reflected that superiority in the statistics.

However, despite several good chances, the puck would not cross the line. Instead, Austria conceded the 0:1 in the 35th minute, immediately after Vinzenz Rohrer's penalty had expired. In the final period, they pushed hard for an equaliser, especially in the closing minutes. Roger Bader then took a timeout and pulled goaltender Thomas Höneckl. The gamble paid off. Marco Kasper made it 1:1 with 57 seconds left in the game and then scored the winning goal on the power play in overtime for the 2:1.

Marco Kasper: "It always feels good to score a goal and to win. We can still improve quite a few things in terms of our play. Slovenia made it really difficult for us. Now we will quickly try to improve for next week."

Head Coach Roger Bader: "After the first period, we really should already have been leading; we had the clearly better chances. We lost our way a little in the second period and also took a few unnecessary penalties. That brought Slovenia back into the game and they then took the lead. We dominated the final period. The equaliser could have come earlier, and perhaps the win after 60 minutes as well. It was certainly deserved that we were rewarded in overtime at the end. The team spirit and energy within the team were good. After 40 minutes, I pointed out that we were playing a little too elaborately and ornately, rather than in the direct style that normally characterises us. We corrected that in the final period."

Olympic qualification test match

Slovenia vs. Austria 1:2 n.V. (0:0,1:0,0:1,0:1)
Thu, 22 August 2024, 19:00, Bled
Slovenia goalscorer: Rok Macuh (37th) 
Austria goalscorer: Marco Kasper (60th, 63th/PP1) 

Austria lined up with:

Goaltenders: 29 Höneckl Thomas; 1 Vorauer Florian (backup) 

Line 1: 25 Unterweger Clemens - 12 Maier David; 21 Haudum Lukas - 10 Kasper Marco - 23 Bischofberger Johannes

Line 2: 20 Brunner Nico - 4 Reinbacher David; 16 Zwerger Dominic - 18 Baumgartner Benjamin - 3 Schneider Peter

Line 3: 24 Strong Steven - 8 Nickl Thimo; 17 Ganahl Manuel - 22 Herburger Raphael - 13 Rohrer Vinzenz

Line 4: 26 Stapelfeldt Paul - 14 Zündel Kilian; 27 Huber Paul - 7 Nissner Benjamin - 15 Thaler Lucas

Next game:

Austria vs. Slovenia
Sat, 24 August 2024, 16:00, Graz

Get your tickets here!

2024 Olympic Men´s Ice Hockey Final Qualification, Group D

29 August 2024 - 01 September 2024

Host: Slovakia

Participants: Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Austria, Hungary

The Slovak federation has designated dedicated Austria sections for two games: for the opening game against Slovakia on 29 August, sections B11 and B12. For the Sunday game Austria vs. Hungary, sections A5, A6, A7 and A9. For the Friday game against Kazakhstan, the Slovak federation has issued no recommendation or requirement. 

The Olympic qualification will be played at the Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, which has a capacity of more than 10.000 spectators and also hosted games at the 2019 World Championship.

Ticket prices for the SVK vs. AUT game
Sections A3, A5, A9, A11, B3, B4, B9, B10 - € 20.-
Sections A4, A10 - € 29.-
Sections A1, A2, A6, A7, A8, A12, B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B11, B12 - € 15.-
VIP - € 149.-

Ticket prices for the games vs. KAZ & HUN
Sectors A3, A4, A5, A9, A10, A11, B3, B4, B9, B10 - € 20.-
Sectors A1, A2, A6, A7, A8, A12, B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B8, B11, B12 - € 10.-

Secure tickets here!

Schedule:

Thursday, 29 August 2024:

Kazakhstan vs. Hungary
Bratislava, Ondrej Nepela Arena, 14:00

Slovakia vs. Austria

Bratislava, Ondrej Nepela Arena, 18:00 - >> Live on ORF SPORT +

Friday, 30 August 2024:

Kazakhstan vs. Austria

Bratislava, Ondrej Nepela Arena, 14:00 - >> Live on ORF SPORT +

Hungary vs. Slovakia
Bratislava, Ondrej Nepela Arena, 18:00

Sunday, 01 September 2024:

Austria vs. Hungary
Bratislava, Ondrej Nepela Arena, 14:00 - >> Live on ORF SPORT +

Slovakia vs. Kazakhstan
Bratislava, Ondrej Nepela Arena, 18:00

All information is available on the official IIHF website