Release from 24.11.2023

HC TIWAG Innsbruck in the "concert of the greats"

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The Champions Hockey League is not only a scene for intense ice hockey sport, but also a stage on which the best European teams compete and represent their countries and leagues. This season, HC TIWAG Innsbruck, representing the win2day ICE Hockey League, managed to fight their way through to the round of 16. Despite the narrow elimination against the Finnish top club Lukko Rauma, HC TIWAG Innsbruck's first participation in the CHL leaves an impressive record. We spoke to General Manager Günther Hanschitz and Head Coach Mitch O'Keefe about the Tyrolean success story.

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HC TIWAG Innsbruck was the big surprise team in the current Champions Hockey League season. As the third and last team to qualify fto represent the win2day ICE Hockey League, they won three games in the regular season and advanced to the round of 16. After a draw in the first leg, they were only beaten by top Finnish club Lukko Rauma in the second leg in Finland in overtime.

Günther Hanschitz: "We mastered the task with flying colors."
Günther Hanschitz, manager of HC TIWAG Innsbruck, has an exclusively positive summary of the Sharks' performance in the Champions Hockey League after the narrow elimination. "The first CHL season really was an unexpected journey for us. We made it to the round of 16 in the concert of the greats in Europe. The sporting achievements make us very proud in our small organization. What we have achieved is something to be proud of. But I'm even more pleased that we as HC TIWAG Innsbruck were the last representative of the win2day ICE Hockey League and the entire ice hockey nation".

The challenges of the CHL have given the team the opportunity to surpass itself. Hanschitz emphasizes: "We are and could only grow as a family with this great task and I can proudly say that we have mastered the task as a team with flying colors."



"Added value beyond the borders"
Leaving the CHL does not mean the end, but possibly the beginning of new opportunities and developments. When asked about the long-term effects of participating in the CHL, Hanschitz was cautiously optimistic: "I can't say today after Wednesday's elimination. I hope it brings us added value within Tyrol, but perhaps also beyond its borders."

The enthusiastic fans have rewarded the team's good performance in the CHL with over 2,000 spectators per home game. Hanschitz sees this as a positive outlook for the region: "This is definitely a positive sign for the general development of ice hockey in Innsbruck and Tyrol."

Mitch O'Keefe: "We have learned a lot"`
After his team's successful CHL trip, Head Coach Mitch O'Keefe emphasizes the learning curve that the team went through: "Yes, it was upsetting to be out now of the CHL but we learned a lot as a group." The season at Europe's highest level was above all an opportunity for O'Keefe and the team to develop further: "TI would sum it up as a good showing for our club at that level. We learned a lot playing top teams and also developed within as a club. "

O'Keefe also sees participation in the CHL as an unparalleled team-building experience and opportunity to grow together: "It’s absolutely worth being part of the tournament. It’s a great honour to earn a place to compete and also even better experience for the players, coaching staff and club as a whole."

Despite the elimination, HC TIWAG Innsbruck's participation in the CHL remains a success story and will go down as a milestone in the club's history.