Women’s Olympic Qualification: Austria lose to Hungary in overtime

Austria’s women’s national ice hockey team lost their second game against Hungary, 2:3 after overtime, on Saturday in Bremerhaven in qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA). Anna Meixner (19th) and Emma Mörtl (32nd) scored for the ÖEHV selection. That brings the Olympic dream to an end. Austria face Slovakia on Sunday from 14:30, in their final game. The match will again be shown live on Magenta Sport.

08 February 20252 min read

The situation: after the 0:2 defeat against Germany, Austria needed to beat Hungary by at least three goals, then also defeat Slovakia on Sunday, and require Hungary’s help against Germany. There were many factors involved, but the team believed in it.

Accordingly, Austria performed much better than two days earlier, standing up to the physical style of play from the Hungarians. There were initially few major chances at either end before things became hectic in front of the Austrian net in the 14th minute, but Austria managed to clear the scramble.

Shortly afterwards, Selma Luggin came up with a crucial save while shorthanded. Austria then took control of the game. In the 19th minute, Anna Meixner was set up perfectly, raced in alone on goal and slid the puck under the Hungarian netminder’s left pad to take the lead.

Straight after the break, Austria pushed for 2:0. A two-minute penalty against Anna Meixner for delaying the game interrupted the red-white-red onslaught. Hungary capitalised on the power play to make it 1:1. Midway through the second period, Hungary even took a 2:1 lead following a powerful burst from Lotti Odnoga. Fortunately, it did not last long. Emma Mörtl scored just 53 seconds later to make it 2:2.

In the final period, Austria passed up several excellent chances to regain the lead, but were also fortunate when the Hungarians hit the post. With the game tied after 60 minutes, Austria’s fate was sealed and the dream of the Olympic Games was over. Hungary ultimately prevailed 3:2. The head-to-head clash between Germany and Hungary will now decide the Olympic ticket, while Austria and Slovakia battle for 3rd place.

Theresa Schafzahl: “That is very bitter. We started the game superbly today and delivered a really good performance. After the disappointment against Germany, we had set ourselves the goal of starting the game with plenty of energy, playing our game and showing more confidence. We did that quite well. We conceded two silly goals and were unable to add any more ourselves. In overtime, we were already exhausted because we knew it was over. The Olympics only come around every four years. We are playing against three good nations. We know we had a chance and we all believed in it. But the other teams are good too, and if you do not produce your best performance, it is not enough.”