Release from 15.02.2025

Decision days in the Regular Season: Battle for the highly desired tickets

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The win2day ICE Hockey League is entering its final week of the regular season - and there are still plenty of decisions to be made. Who will be regular season champion, who will secure the first two Champions Hockey League places? Which teams will secure their quarter-final ticket? And who will get the last pre-playoff spot? The coming days promise to be very exciting and we have everything you need to know about it.

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Battle for regular season champion and the first two CHL tickets
The EC-KAC is on the verge of qualifying for the Champions Hockey League 2025/26. The Carinthians could secure their first ticket on their own in Sunday's game at the Steinbach Black Wings Linz - a single point is enough, regardless of the results of the competition. Should they fail to do so, the KAC would still be guaranteed a place in the CHL if either HCB Südtirol Alperia drop at least one point or EC Red Bull Salzburg drop at least two points.

In addition to the CHL ticket, the KAC could also secure first place in the regular season on Sunday - in other words, crown itself “Regular Season Champion”. To do so, they need three points on their own. Alternatively, it would be enough for the KAC to pick up the same number of points as Salzburg - unless both teams remain without points, in which case Bolzano should pick up a maximum of one point to ensure that the KAC are still regular season champions on Sunday.

Who will go straight through to the quarter-finals?
Three of the six places in the quarter-finals are still open - and the next decision could be made on Sunday. Hydro Fehérvár AV19 currently have the best chance of qualifying for the play-offs with just one point. Should they fail to do so, it will be enough for either the Moser Medical Graz99ers (against HC Pustertal) or EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV (against Olimpija Ljubljana) to drop at least one point.
Steinbach Black Wings Linz can also punch their quarter-final ticket on Sunday. To do so, they need a complete victory against EC-KAC. Alternatively, the Linzers would also be safe in the quarter-finals if they are at least one point ahead of the Graz99ers after Sunday's game.

While all the other teams have at least one more game on the schedule next week, the Graz99ers will play their last game of the regular season on Sunday. If the Grazers are unable to punch their playoff ticket on Sunday, they will have to sit idly by for five days to see how their playoff fate is decided. Even with a complete success against HC Pustertal, there could still be trepidation - namely if Hydro Fehérvár fails to pick up a point or only one point against South Tyrol. Conversely, Graz could also be in the quarter-finals with less than three points on Sunday: if they pick up the same number of points as Villach and Fehérvár they have at least one point more in the table on Sunday evening. A situation in which Graz are level on points with Fehérvár and Villach after the regular season would be particularly tricky for Graz, as the Styrians would lose out in this “three-way tie”.

Who will secure the last pre-playoff spot?
The race for the pre-playoffs has not yet been decided either. A decision could be made as early as Saturday, when the Pioneers Vorarlberg and the spusu Vienna Capitals face off. The two teams are currently separated by five points - if the Pioneers manage a complete victory, the decision will be postponed until next week. The Vorarlberg team have beaten the Vienna Capitals in all three season duels so far. Should they also manage a win after regulation time in the fourth encounter, it would come down to a long-distance duel on the final matchday. There, the Pioneers would have to pick up two more points against Black Wings Linz on Friday, February 21, than the Capitals against Olimpija Ljubljana to secure the last pre-playoff ticket.