Foxes Take Over Top Spot | Pioneers and Caps with Major Upsets | VSV Ties Franchise Record

Pioneers Blow Out Red Bulls in Salzburg
The Pioneers Vorarlberg pulled off the upset of the round, taking down EC Red Bull Salzburg on the road for the first time in franchise history – and in style, with a commanding 6-1 victory. It was Salzburg's heaviest loss of the season. The Red Bulls dominated the first period but were consistently stymied by Pioneers netminder Alex Caffi. After a scoreless opening frame, the Pioneers came out flying in the second. Lucas Sowder led the charge with a quick double in just 3.5 minutes, sparking an offensive explosion. Joshua Passolt and Ramon Schnetzer extended the lead to 4-0 by the 36th minute. Though Salzburg briefly pulled one back, the Pioneers continued to roll, sealing the game at 6-1. Joshua Passolt recorded a stellar 5-point night with two goals and three assists, becoming just the third player this season to hit that milestone. With the win, Vorarlberg climbed to 11th place in the standings.

X-Mas Games Specialist Strikes Again
The spusu Vienna Capitals once again lived up to their reputation as the ultimate X-Mas Games specialists. With a win rate of over 70% in games between Christmas and New Year, they’re the undisputed kings of this stretch in the win2day ICE Hockey League. Despite entering as clear underdogs against league leaders Hydro Fehérvár AV19, the Caps delivered. Brett Kemp opened the scoring in the first period. In the second and third, 22-year-old Leon Wallner added a goal in each frame, recording his second multi-goal game of the season. The Caps wrapped things up with a 3-0 victory. Goaltender Peyton Jones, who joined the team just last month, recorded his third shutout in the league, cementing the Caps' reputation as holiday game heroes.

VSV Ties Franchise Record
The EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV tied their franchise record from 2001, securing their 11th straight win in dramatic fashion against HC TIWAG Innsbruck. The hard-fought victory only came in overtime. The game started according to plan for the visitors from Kärnten, as they jumped to an early 2-0 lead after just over 10 minutes. But Innsbruck responded with a double strike to tie the game by the end of the first period. In the second, Jan Lattner gave the home side their first lead, only for Villach to equalize shortly after. In the final period, Mark Rassell scored his second of the night to put Innsbruck back in front, but Mark Katic sent the game to overtime with a clutch goal in the 53rd minute. Alex Wall then sealed the deal in the extra frame, securing Villach's 11th consecutive win.

Foxes Back on Top After OT Win in "Grande Classico"
HCB Südtirol Alperia reclaimed their spot atop the standings with a comeback OT win in the "Grande Classico." Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey, under new head coach Giorgio De Bettin, controlled much of the game in front of a sold-out crowd. The Yellow-Reds jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 16 minutes and held that advantage through 40 minutes, despite the Foxes cutting the deficit to one. In the third period, Giordano Finoro and Braden Christoffer scored to force overtime, where Christoffer netted the game-winner. For Asiago, who had just changed head coaches, it was their ninth straight loss. Despite their struggles, they’ve managed to salvage points in four of their last five games. The Foxes, meanwhile, caught Hydro Fehérvár AV19 in points and claimed the top spot thanks to their superior goal differential.

Graz99ers Take Key Top-6 Matchup
The Moser Medical Graz99ers earned a crucial win in a Top-6 battle against the Steinbach Black Wings Linz, climbing to fourth in the standings. Korbinian Holzer got things started for Graz with a goal in the 9th minute. An own goal by Greg Moro made it 2-0 early in the second period. While Linz cut the deficit to 2-1 with a powerplay goal, Trevor Gooch restored the two-goal cushion moments later. In the final frame, the 99ers extended their lead and closed out the game with a 5-2 victory. It was Graz’s second win over the Black Wings this season, bringing them within two points of their rivals in the standings.

Olimpija's Interim Coach Stays Perfect
On December 21, 2024, Andrej Tavzelj took over as Olimpija Ljubljana’s interim head coach. Since then, the team has been unstoppable, winning all three games under his leadership – two of them in overtime. On Saturday night, Ljubljana battled to a 5-4 OT win against HC Pustertal. The hosts struck first in the 12th minute, but the Slovenians turned the tide quickly, going up 3-1 by the end of the first period. The Wolves fought back to tie the game by the 42nd minute, but Olimpija reclaimed the lead at 4-3 shortly after. Brett Findlay answered for Pustertal, forcing overtime. Kale Kerbashian, however, sealed the deal for Ljubljana in the extra frame.

win2day ICE Hockey League, 28.12.2024:
Hydro Fehérvár AV19 – spusu Vienna Capitals 0:3 (0:1,0:1,0:1)
Referees: PIRAGIC, ZRNIC, Hribar, Zgonc
Goals VIC: Kemp (17.), Wallner (27.;50.)

HC TIWAG Innsbruck – EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV 4:5 O.T. (2:2,1:1,1:1)
Referees: HUBER A., STERNAT, Nothegger, Zacherl
Goals HCI: Rassell (12.,49./pp1), Grasso (17.), Lattner (34.),
Goals VSV: Richter (1.), Lanzinger (11.), Hancock (37.), Katic (53.), Wall (62./OT)

Moser Medical Graz99ers – Steinbach Black Wings Linz 5:2 (1:0,2:1,2:1)
Referees: NAGY, SOOS, Bärnthaler, Vaczi
Goals G99: Holzer (9.), Roy (22./pp1), Gooch (30.;60./en), Hora (47.),
Goals BWL: Roe (25./pp1), Lebler (59.)

EC Red Bull Salzburg – Pioneers Vorarlberg 1:6 (0:0,1:4,0:2)
Referees: OFNER, SMETANA, Seewald J., Wimmler
Goals RBS: Nissner (39.),
Goals PIV: Sowder (26.,29./pp1), Passolt (34.;48.), Schnetzer (36.), Tschofen (56.)

Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey – HCB Südtirol Alperia 4:5 O.T. (2:0,1:1,1:3)
Referees: NIKOLIC K., NIKOLIC M., Mantovani, Rigoni
Goals ASH: Moutrey (2.), Ierullo (17.;31.), Gennaro (46.)
Goals HCB: McClure (27.), Frigo (42.), Finoro (51.), Christoffer (58.;64.)

HC Pustertal – Olimpija Ljubljana 4:5 O.T. (1:3,1:0,2:1)
Referees: BERNEKER, SCHAUER, Martin, Weiss
Goals HCP: Conci (12.), Osmanski (25.), Mantinger (42./pp1), Findlay (56./pp1)
Goals OLL: Crnovic (15.), Sodja (18.), Cerveny (19.), Simsic (53./pp1), Kerbashian (61.)