Release from 17.02.2025

Final-Day Drama: 4 Teams, 3 Quarterfinal Spots | 2 Teams, 1 CHL Ticket

Short text 532 CharactersPlain text

The battle for the final three direct quarterfinal spots remains wide open after Sunday's action. Four teams are still fighting for a place in the Top-6 – which team will have to go through the Pre-Playoffs? The decision will come down to the final round of the regular season in the win2day ICE Hockey League on Friday, February 21.

However, the race for the second CHL ticket could be decided even earlier. EC Red Bull Salzburg has the chance to secure their spot as early as Wednesday in their game against Olimpija Ljubljana.

Press release 2741 CharactersPlain text

Four Teams, Three Quarterfinal Spots
The race for the final three quarterfinal spots couldn’t be any tighter. Four teams are battling for a place in the Top-6: Moser Medical Graz99ers, Steinbach Black Wings Linz, Hydro Fehérvár AV19, and EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV.

  • Moser Medical Graz99ers

Graz has no game on the final day and cannot actively influence the standings. They will only drop to seventh place in one specific scenario:

    • VSV earns three points against Asiago AND
    • Linz wins against the Pioneers in regulation or OT/shootout AND
    • Fehérvár loses against Salzburg in OT or shootout and earns exactly one point.
  • Steinbach Black Wings Linz

Linz has their fate in their own hands – they need at least one point against Pioneers Vorarlberg to secure a Top-6 finish. If they fail to do so, they would only drop to seventh place in this scenario:

    • Linz earns no points against the Pioneers AND
    • VSV takes all three points against Asiago.
  • Hydro Fehérvár AV19

Fehérvár is in almost the same situation as Linz but faces reigning champion Salzburg. However, since Fehérvár won the head-to-head matchup with Linz, they can only drop to seventh if:

    • Fehérvár earns no points against Salzburg AND
    • VSV defeats Asiago in regulation AND
    • Linz earns at least one point against the Pioneers.
  • EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV

Villach starts the final round two points behind and must win in regulation against Asiago. If they fail to do so, they are guaranteed to finish seventh. Even a regulation win might not be enough if the following happens:

    • Linz earns points against the Pioneers AND Fehérvár earns points against Salzburg. The only exception: If Fehérvár earns exactly one point AND Linz secures two or three points, Graz would drop to seventh place.

Explanation: VSV loses any tiebreaker scenario against the other three teams – except in a three-way tie with Fehérvár and Graz. However, if Linz also reaches the same point total, VSV would again drop behind Graz.

Race for the Regular-Season Champion
A decision could already come on Wednesday. Salzburg needs at least two points against Olimpija Ljubljana to keep the race for the Regular Season Champion title alive against KAC. If Salzburg and KAC finish tied in points on Friday, KAC would win the title due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Battle for the Second CHL Ticket
EC-KAC has already secured their CHL spot, but the second ticket is still up for grabs. Alongside Salzburg, HCB Südtirol Alperia is also still in the race. However, Bolzano depends on the outcome of Salzburg’s game against Ljubljana on Wednesday. Salzburg can lock in the second CHL spot with a regulation win (3 points) on Wednesday.