Release from 15.01.2021
Saturday sees six games in the Alps Hockey League, with all teams facing each other for the first time this season. The exciting battle for the top four will continue, with only four points separating third-placed Red Bull Hockey Juniors and HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice in ninth place.
VEU Feldkirch against HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana postponed
Due to snow on the roofs of the halls, the ice arenas in Feldkirch and Lustenau were closed by the authorities. While EHC Lustenau will now play their home game against S.G. Cortina Hafro in Dornbirn, the match between VEU Feldkirch and HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana had to be postponed indefinitely.
Alps Hockey League | Saturday, 16 January 2021:
Sat, 16 Jan 2021, 19.00: Steel Wings Linz - Rittner Buam
Referees: BRUNNER, DURCHNER, Moidl, Reisinger.
On Saturday the first duel of the season will take place between Linz and Ritten. The Steel Wings have been waiting for ten games now, their only victory was in Kitzbühel. New arrival Francesco Arcuri, who scored three times in his first two games, gives hope. The Buam recently celebrated two home victories and are in tenth place in the table. Last season, the South Tyroleans won clearly (8:1 and 10:0) against the bottom team.
Sat, 16.01.2021, 19.15: Red Bull Hockey Juniors - Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey
Referees: HLAVATY, LOICHT, Legat, Voican.
The first top match of the day starts in Salzburg, where the third-placed Juniors meet Asiago for the first time this season. The Salzburg side lately celebrated their first win of the new year with a 5:2 victory over Val Gardena - it was the tenth home win in the tenth match. Asiago are two points behind the Austrians in sixth place - but have played one game more. The Italians lost their last three away games, scoring only two goals.
Sat, 16.01.2021, 19.30: EHC Lustenau - S.G. Cortina Hafro
Referees: OREL, PODLESNIK, Holzer D., Wimmler.
Lustenau plays the home game against Cortina in Dornbirn. Both teams are on the rise and won the last four games. With 25 goals, the EHC showed their offensive power and stormed to fourth place, which would mean a direct quarter-final qualification. With their winning streak, Cortina also moved up to seventh place. In three of the last four duels between these two teams, the away team prevailed.
Sat, 16.01.2021, 19.30: SHC Fassa Falcons - EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel
Referees: BENVEGNU, PINIE, Cristeli, Fleischmann.
Fassa and Kitzbühel are looking to get back on the winning track on Saturday. While the Falcons were defeated in all three games in the new year and lost touch with the upper half of the table in eleventh place, the KEC has already been waiting for a win for ten games. The Tyroleans slipped to 14th place and are already four points behind the Falcons - with four games more played. In the ten AHL duels so far, the home team has always come out on top.
Sat, 16.01.2021, 20.00: HC Pustertal - EC Bregenzerwald
Referees: GIACOMOZZI F., STEFENELLI, Bedana, Piras.
HC Pustertal's six-game winning streak came to an end on Thursday in Jesenice. However, the Wolves are still at the top of the table and are two points ahead of Ljubljana (who have played three games less). The team from Bruneck has won all ten home games so far. The eighth-placed team from Bregenzerwald is only two points behind the top four, and on Thursday they even turned around a 2-0 deficit in the derby against Feldkirch. In the Alps Hockey League, however, they have only managed to win once against HCP so far.
Sat, 16.01.2021, 20.30: HC Gherdeina valgardena.it - HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice
Referees: EGGER, LAZZERI, De Zordo, Mantovani.
The signs for the match between Val Gardena and Jesenice are very different. While the team from Wolkenstein lost the last three games, the Slovenians celebrated three victories - on Thursday they defeated league leader Pustertal with 4:2. Ninth-placed Jesenice is three points behind the top four, but has played by far the fewest games of all teams. Val Gardena, on the other hand, is fighting to regain its position in the middle of the table. In the last four AHL meetings between the two teams, the visitors have always come out on top.