Hockey Juniors outclass Regular Season Champion

Thursday night, the Red Bull Hockey Juniors handed HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice its highest defeat in the Alps Hockey League (0-7 on December 20th, 2019 against Ljubljana). Salzburg outclassed this year's Regular Season Champion 8-0, celebrating their first win over Jesenice since December 17th, 2019. The hugely efficient home team was already 7-0 ahead after 40 minutes, needing only 19 shots on goal to do so. Seven players scored, only Oskar Maier recorded a brace. For goalie Simon Wolf, who saved 18 shots in the final period, it was the second shutout in the Alps Hockey League. With the third win in a row, Teemu Levijoki's team overtook the Slovenians in the standings and is now in second place.

New Masterround leader is S.G. Cortina Hafro, which distanced the Rittner Buam SkyAlps 3-0 at home - and thus ensured the second shutout victory on the fifth gameday of the top group. Goalie Marco De Filippo remained without a goal for the third time in the current season. Crucial for Cortina's third win in the intermediate round was a perfect power play, with the Ampezzaner successfully completing both PPs they had. The South Tyroleans remained without a goal for the second time in a row.

Zell am See takes points in the fourth game too
The EK Die Zeller Eisbären has also taken points in the fourth game of the Qualification Round A. The sovereign 5-1 road win at the Steinbach Steel Wings Linz was already the third victory of the "Eisbären" in the intermediate round, with the Salzburg side providing the preliminary decision with three goals in the last two minutes of the second period: Hubert Berger (39.), Tomi Wilenius (40.) and Jesper Akerman (40.) made it 4:1 for the guests, which had trailed after the first period due to a shorthanded goal by Dennis Sticha. The Upper Austrians thus also suffered a defeat in their fourth game and remain bottom of Pool A.

First chaser of Zell am See are now the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan, which dominated HC Gherdeina valgardena.it with 7-0 at home and overtook Val Gardena in the standings. Already after 31 minutes the "Broncos" were up 5-0, three goals produced Sterzing's top line around Giftopoulos (1), McBride and Mizzi (2). The WSV thus scored for the third time in a row. Gardena, which had newcomer Teemu Siironen for the first time available, suffered its fourth road defeat in a row.


Lustenau takes over top position in Qualification Round B
EHC Lustenau remained unbeaten in Qualification Round B and also took the lead in the standings from EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel, which was not playing this time, with a 4-1 home win over EC-KAC Future Team. The Vorarlberg team benefited from an early opening goal: Chris D'Alvise netted after just 16 seconds and then doubled the lead in the 14th minute. The intermediary goal of the Carinthians, which also lost the eighth duel with the "Stickers", was answered by David König still in the first period, before Lustenau did not concede any more goals and clearly determined the game. The young "Rotjacken" thus also lost their fourth intermediate round game and are already without success away from home for eight games.

With EC Bregenzerwald, the second team from Vorarlberg is also in a pre-playoff spot after the fifth gameday, as the "Wälder" won at HC Meran/o Pircher with 4-1 and thus won also in their third intermediate round game, for the first time they won after regular playing time. Until the 28th minute, the guests from Vorarlberg built up a 4-goal lead and thus made the preliminary decision. For the South Tyroleans, it was the fourth defeat in the fourth game of Qualification Round B.

Alps Hockey League | Masterround | 02.02.2023 | Results:
Red Bull Hockey Juniors - HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice 8:0 (3:0, 4:0, 1:0)
Referees: HLAVATY, SCHAUER, Eisl, J. Seewald. | Spectators: 114
Goals RBJ: Jelavic (4.PP1/Sumpf), Schreiner (10./Weber), Maier (12./Assavolyuk, 31.), Assavolyuk (21./Maier), Ruckdäschel (28./Gschliesser), Sumpf (38./Sinn-Jelavic), Cernik (50./Gschliessner-Ruckdäschel)

S.G. Cortina Hafro - Rittner Buam SkyAlps 3:0 (2:0, 1:0, 0:0)
Referees: MOSCHEN, PINIE, Brondi, Rigoni. | Spectators: 461
Goals SGC: Di Tomaso (9.PP1/Zanatta-Saha), Alvera (12./Seed), Traversa (28./PP1)

Alps Hockey League | Qualification Round A | 02.02.2023 | Results:
Steinbach Steel Wings Linz - EK Die Zeller Eisbären 1:5 (1:0, 0:4, 0:1)
Referees: BRUNNER, WIDMANN, Matthey, Wucherer. | Spectators: 126
Goal SWL: Sticha (17.SH1/Gaffal P.)
Goals EKZ: Jennes (26./Wilenius-Hämäläinen), Berger (39./Dinhopel-Akerman), Wilenius (40./Schernthaner-Neubauer), Akerman (40./Egger-Kittinger), Hämäläinen (57./Neubauer-Egger)

Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan - HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 7:0 (2:0, 3:0, 2:0)
Referees: GIACOMOZZI, STEFENELLI, Bedana, Cristeli. | Spectators: 408
Goals WSV: Conci (11./Gander), Mizzi (15./Maylan-Giftopoulos, 28./Giftopoulos-McBride), Gander (22./Deluca-Gschnitzer), Giftopoulos (31./McBride-Mizzi), Conci (49.PP2), Maylan (50.PP1/Mizzi-McBride)

Alps Hockey League | Qualification Round B | 02.02.2023 | Results:
EHC Lustenau - EC-KAC Future Team 4:1 (3:1, 0:0, 1:0)
Referees: LEHNER, RUETZ, Kübler, Spiegel. | Spectators: 481
Goals EHC: D’Alvise (1./Hayes-Hrdina, 14./Hayes-Wilfan), König (18./Pöschmann-Gratzer), Wilfan (42./Pöschmann-Hayes)
Goal KFT: Lam (17./Klassek-Tavzelj)

HC Meran/o Pircher - EC Bregenzerwald 1:4 (0:2, 1:2, 0:0)
Referees: BENVEGNU, LAZZERI, De Zordo, Fleischmann. | Spectators: 320
Goal HCM: Colella (40.PP1/Brunner)
Goals ECB: Tröthan (4./Fässler-Kandemir), Lipsbergs (16./Lehtonen), Tschofen (23./Zwerger), Schlögl (29.)

Fotocredit: GEPA pictures / Manfred Binder