Release from 03.12.2022
Thanks to a 5:4 shootout victory over the Rittner Buam SkyAlps, the Steinbach Steel Wings Linz left the bottom of the Alps Hockey League standings on Saturday. The other four home teams even won after regulation. The league leaders HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice, the two Vorarlberg teams EC Bregenzerwald and EHC Lustenau as well as HC Meran/o Pircher secured three points.
Jesenice remained the measure of all things on Saturday. Zell am See was able to challenge the league leader for a long time, but finally the Slovenians got the eleventh home victory in the eleventh game. 22 seconds before the first intermission the hosts took the lead through Gasper Sersen. In the middle period, Jesenice first doubled the lead with a shorthanded goal (Polcs, 23rd), but Aleksi Hämäläinen got the visitors on the scoreboard. In the third period the home side scored two more goals to win 4:1, it was their second victory over Zell am See this season.
Victories for Vorarlberg teams
The Red Bull Hockey Juniors missed the jump to second place, the Salzburgers had to admit defeat at EC Bregenzerwald. The guests started with a lot of pressure and even took the lead through Timo Ruckdäschel. The team from Vorarlberg turned the game around within two minutes and finally the score was 2:2 going into the first break. Waltteri Lehtonen and Adem Kandemir scored in the middle period to give Bregenzerwald a two-goal lead for the first time. Although the Juniors came close again, ECB managed to take revenge for the defeat in Salzburg with 5:3.
Only 24 hours after the 0:6 defeat against Bregenzerwald, the EC-KAC Future Team had to admit defeat again. The Carinthians were once again denied a goal in the 0:4 loss against Lustenau. With a brace in the first period, the Vorarlberg team set the course for victory in the first period. With his second goal of the evening, Ryan Hayes made the preliminary decision in the 49th minute. While Lustenau improved to ninth place, the KAC is now bottom of the table.
Linz and Meran hold their nerves
The Steinbach Steel Wings Linz left the bottom of the table with a 5:4 shootout win over Ritten. Although the South Tyroleans took the lead through Janne Tavi, a brace from Geoffrey Kitt turned the game in favor of the Upper Austrians, who even went up to 3:1. Shortly after the start of the middle period, Ritten managed to equalize. And the South Tyroleans then had an answer ready for Linz's renewed lead. After 32 minutes the score was 4:4, and nothing changed after 65 minutes. In the shootout Kilian Rappold secured the extra point for the Steel Wings. In the eighth AHL duel, the Upper Austrians won for the second time.
With a last-minute goal, Merano also decided the second season meeting with Sterzing in its favor. After a goalless first period, the visitors took the lead through Remy Giftopoulos. At the end of the middle period, the Broncos even led 3:1, but Merano came back with a brilliant third period. After reducing the deficit with a quick goal, Luca Ansoldi equalized in the 53rd minute. And 46 seconds before the end, Maurizio Colella - who, like Ansoldi, recorded a brace - scored to give the Eagles their first lead and victory.
Alps Hockey League, 3.12.2022:
HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice - EK Die Zeller Eisbären 4:1 (1:0,1:1,2:0)
Referees: BULOVEC, WIDMANN, Javornik, Puff
Goals 1:0 JES Sersen G. (19:38 / Jenko J. ,Ulamec L. / EQ), 2:0 JES Polcs R. (22:58 / unassisted / SH), 2:1 EKZ Hämäläinen A. (36:07 / Wilenius T. ,Ban D. / EQ), 3:1 JES Jezovsek Z. (43:40 / Galushkin A. ,Planko D. / EQ), 4:1 JES Galushkin A. (49:20 / Planko D. ,Ulamec L. / EQ)
Steinbach Steel Wings Linz - Rittner Buam SkyAlps 5:4 SO (3:1,1:3,0:0,0:0,1:0)
Referees: BAJT, FAJDIGA, Legat, Voican
Goals 0:1 RIT Tavi J. (04:15 / Prast J. ,Öhler M. / EQ), 1:1 SWL Kitt G. (05:53 / Rappold K. ,Dorion M. / PP), 2:1 SWL Kitt G. (08:01 / Söllinger P. ,Noreika E. / EQ), 3:1 SWL Mosaad B. (13:37 / Grasser B. ,Feldbaumer M. / EQ), 3:2 RIT Fink K. (21:24 / Giacomuzzi A. ,Lang M. / EQ), 3:3 RIT Spinell M. (22:48 / Fink K. ,Insam M. / PP), 4:3 SWL Mayrhofer M. (26:54 / Dorion M. ,Bucenieks K. / EQ), 4:4 RIT Spinell M. (31:47 / Cardwell J. ,Kostner S. / PP), 5:4 SWL Rappold K. (65:00 / GWS)
EC Bregenzerwald - Red Bull Hockey Juniors 5:3 (2:2,2:0,1:1)
Referees: LEHNER, MEIXNER, Kanyo, Matthey
Goals 0:1 RBJ Ruckdäschel T. (10:25 / Krening P. ,Schreiner V. / EQ), 1:1 ECB Schlögl R. (11:53 / Matzka M. ,Tröthan R. / EQ), 2:1 ECB Lehtonen W. (13:47 / Kutzer J. ,Lipsbergs R. / EQ), 2:2 RBJ Bader Q. (15:07 / Maier O. ,Hörl L. / EQ), 3:2 ECB Lehtonen W. (22:49 / Lipsbergs R. ,Matzka M. / PP), 4:2 ECB Kandemir A. (26:40 / Fässler K. ,Tschofen M. / EQ), 4:3 RBJ Ruckdäschel T. (41:46 / unassisted / EQ), 5:3 ECB Lipsbergs R. (59:01 / Lehtonen W. ,Nyqvist J. / EQ)
HC Meran/o Pircher - Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan 4:3 (0:0,1:3,3:0)
Referees: BENVEGNU, VIRTA, Bergant, Jeram
Goals 0:1 WSV Giftopoulos R. (23:20 / Jokinen J. ,Mizzi J. / PP), 1:1 HCM Ansoldi L. (25:39 / Chiodo L. ,Desrocher S. / EQ), 1:2 WSV Zecchetto A. (36:06 / Hackhofer F. ,Eisendle P. / EQ), 1:3 WSV Jokinen J. (37:21 / Conci D. ,McBride S. / EQ), 2:3 HCM Colella M. (43:40 / Tomasini P. ,Gellon D. / EQ), 3:3 HCM Ansoldi L. (52:31 / Borgatello C. ,Tomasini P. / EQ), 4:3 HCM Colella M. (59:14 / Borgatello C. ,Chiodo L. / EQ)
EHC Lustenau - EC-KAC Future Team 4:0 (2:0,0:0,2:0)
Referees: BRUNNER, HOLZER, Reisinger, Spiegel
Goals 1:0 EHC Larsen M. (14:51 / Koczera P. ,Wilfan M. / PP), 2:0 EHC Hayes R. (15:16 / Lucenius N. ,Kutzer J. / EQ), 3:0 EHC Hayes R. (48:28 / Wüstner R. ,Lucenius N. / EQ), 4:0 EHC Wilfan M. (59:28 / Koczera P. ,Pöschmann P. / EQ)