Graz99ers Take Over the Top Spot

Graz99ers Move into First Place
The Moser Medical Graz99ers are the new leaders of the win2day ICE Hockey League. Just two days ago, Ljubljana had snatched first place from HC Falkensteiner Pustertal in a head-to-head clash — but the Dragons didn’t hold the top spot for long. On the very next game day, Graz overtook them and now sit atop the standings for the first time this season. The matchup between Ljubljana and Graz was shaped by disciplined defensive play and strong goaltending on both sides. For the first time this season, Ljubljana were held off the scoresheet. But Graz also struggled for long stretches against goaltender Lukas Horak, who frustrated their offense for nearly 58 minutes. It wasn’t until Nick Bailen blasted home a point shot late in the third period that the breakthrough finally came. Maxime Lagacé recorded his second shutout of the season. In the standings, Graz now sit one point ahead of Ljubljana. Pustertal follow closely behind, tied on points with the 99ers.

Pustertal Edges Vienna in Overtime
HC Falkensteiner Pustertal also had a chance to reclaim the top spot today — but only with a win in regulation. The Vienna Capitals, however, proved to be a difficult opponent. Carter Souch opened the scoring for Vienna in the first period before Luca Zanatta tied the game shortly after. In the second and third periods, both teams played tight defensively and gave up very few high-quality chances, sending the contest into overtime at 1–1. With just 26 seconds remaining before a potential shootout, Henry Bowlby buried the game-winner for the Wolves.

Linz Earn OT Win in Villach
The first surprise of the evening came before the puck even dropped: EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV parted ways with head coach Tray Tuomie. Assistant coach Marco Pewal stepped behind the bench for this matchup. Despite Villach’s strong start, it was Linz who finished the opening period with a 2–0 lead thanks to goals from Shawn St-Amant and Graham Knott. The Eagles turned the game around in the second period, scoring three straight to take a 3–2 lead. But Linz answered immediately, tying the game only moments after falling behind. A similar pattern followed in the third: Adam Helewka restored Villach’s lead, but Kevin Ograjensek equalized shortly after. In overtime, Graham Knott delivered the decisive blow, securing a vital win for the Black Wings, who narrowed the gap to sixth-placed Villach to six points.

Fehérvár Claims Clear Derby Win
Hydro Fehérvár AV19 once again proved dominant in the second Hungarian derby of the season. Two weeks after a 5–1 home victory, the Red Devils followed up with a commanding 6–1 road win at FTC-Telekom. The visitors from Székesfehérvár were far more clinical from the start, jumping ahead 2–0 thanks to a pair of goals from Anze Kuralt. They extended the lead to 3–0 before the first intermission and pushed it to 5–0 midway through the game.
FTC never managed to get back into the contest. Along with Kuralt’s two goals, Janos Hari also recorded a brace.

KAC Control the Game Against Pioneers
After suffering a tough defeat against Innsbruck on Wednesday, EC-KAC bounced back with a confident performance at home against the Pioneers Vorarlberg. The visitors struck first through Cole Gallant, but the lead lasted less than a minute as David Waschnig responded immediately. Clemens Unterweger put the Red Jackets ahead before the end of the first period, and although Daniel Woger tied the game early in the middle frame, KAC took over from that point onward. They restored their lead in the second period and eventually cruised to a 6–2 victory.

Bozen Battles to Home Win Over Innsbruck
Riding the momentum of their sensational win over KAC two days earlier, HC TIWAG Innsbruck started aggressively into their road game in Bolzano and took an early lead through Stefan Klassek. But the Foxes grew stronger as the game progressed, dominating the middle period and turning the game around with goals from Matt Bradley and Shane Gersich. Innsbruck pushed for an equalizer late in the game but couldn’t find a way through. Bozen held on for a 2–1 win, strengthening their position in fifth place.

win2day ICE Hockey League – Friday, 28 November 2025
FTC-Telekom – Hydro Fehérvár AV19 1:6 (0:3, 0:2, 1:1)
Referees: SIEGEL, SMETANA, Jedlicka, Weiss
Goals FTC: Tóth G. (59.)
Goals AVS: Kuralt A. (5./PP, 15.), Hari J. (18., 56./PP), Richards J. (23./SH), Varga B. (40.)

EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV – Steinbach Black Wings Linz 4:5 OT (0:2, 3:1, 1:1, 0:1)
Referees: OFNER, REZEK, Puff, Riecken
Goals VSV: Scherbak N. (23.), Helewka A. (29./PP, 53.), MacPherson D. (33./PP)
Goals BWL: St-Amant S. (2., 37.), Knott G. (7., 63.), Ograjensek K. (55.)

EC-KAC – Pioneers Vorarlberg 6:2 (2:1, 2:1, 2:0)
Referees: GROZNIK, NAGY, Gatol, Nothegger
Goals KAC: Waschnig D. (12.), Unterweger C. (14.), From M. (37.), van Ee F. (40.), Waschnig D. (41.), Kempe M. (48./PP)
Goals PIV: Gallant C. (11.), Woger D. (23.)

Olimpija Ljubljana – Moser Medical Graz99ers 0:1 (0:0, 0:0, 1:0)
Referees: HRONSKY, SEEWALD E., Durmis, Konc
Goal G99: Bailen N. (58./PP)

HCB Südtirol Alperia – HC TIWAG Innsbruck 2:1 (0:1, 2:0, 0:0)
Referees: NIKOLIC M., PIRAGIC, Fleischmann, Pardatscher
Goals HCB: Bradley M. (29./PP), Gersich S. (34.)
Goals HCI: Klassek S. (7.)

HC Falkensteiner Pustertal – Vienna Capitals 2:1 OT (1:1, 0:0, 0:0, 1:0)
Referees: NIKOLIC K., ZRNIC, Hribar, Mantovani
Goals HCP: Zanatta L. (18.), Bowlby H. (65.)
Goals VIC: Souch C. (9.)