Zeller Eisbären beat Bregen­z­er­wald in the Alps Hockey League

EK Zeller Eisbären further extended their lead at the top of the table with a convincing 5:0 win at EC Bregenzerwald. In front of more than 1.000 spectators, Matt McLeod gave the visitors the lead after ten minutes, with Hubert Berger making it 2:0 shortly afterwards. The Pinzgau side remained the dominant team in the middle period, and Nick Huard sealed the outcome shortly before the second intermission. EKZ goaltender Max Zimmermann ultimately recorded his second shutout of the season.

HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice moved up to second place with a rout of Unterland. Jasa Jenko opened the scoring in the third minute, and the home side led 4:0 by the end of the first period. The Slovenians continued to add to their tally after the restart, with Jaka Sturm making it 6:1 with his second goal of the night in the 32nd minute. Jesenice eventually won 9:2, their second-biggest home victory of the season under head coach Niko Eronen.

The South Tyrolean clash between Rittner Buam SkyAlps and HC Meran Pircher had everything a derby should have: a fast pace and plenty of goals, along with plenty of physicality and even more penalties. In the end, the Buam avenged their overtime defeat in the first meeting and won the heated game 5:3. With their third consecutive win, the reigning champions moved up to fourth place.

More than 1.600 fans watched the clash between Sisak and Cortina. The home side took the lead twice on the night, but the Italians equalised on both occasions. Leonardo Felicetti made it 2:2 in the 33rd minute, before Gabriele Parini gave the visitors the lead for the first time just 18 seconds later. Sisak had chances to equalise in the third period, but Lehtonen made the final score 2:4 with an empty-netter in the final minute. Sisak dropped back to fifth place after their third successive defeat, while Cortina are now sixth.

Gröden ended their five-game losing streak with a win at Celje. The Slovenians took the lead in both the first and second periods, but the South Tyroleans equalised on each occasion. In the third period, Stephan Deluca and Vili Laitinen put the “Furie” on the road to victory. With Celje also unable to convert several power-play opportunities, Gröden left the ice with a 4:3 win. The South Tyroleans moved up to ninth place as a result.

Red Bull Hockey Juniors suffered a heavy 2:7 defeat against Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan. Despite an early goal from Daniel Assavolyuk, the Juniors could not find their way back into the game. The visitors from Sterzing turned the match in their favour with a Sanvido double in the first period. The Sterzing forward scored five goals on the night. The Broncos remain bottom of the table, but are now only a few points behind the middle of the standings.

Alps Hockey League:

Rittner Buam SkyAlps vs. HC Meran/o Pircher 5:3 (2:1,1:1,2:1)
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SIJ Acroni Jesenice vs. Hockey Unterland Cavaliers 9:2 (4:0,2:1,3:1)
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HK RST Pellet Celje vs. HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 3:4 (1:1,1:1,1:2)
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KHL Sisak vs. S.G. Cortina Hafro 2:4 (1:1,1:2,0:1)
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Red Bull Hockey Juniors vs. Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan 2:7 (1:2,0:3,1:2)
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EC Bregenzerwald vs. EK Die Zeller Eisbären 0:5 (0:2,0:1,0:2)
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