Release from 30.01.2020

Intermediate Round starts on Friday

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With Friday’s puck drop the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga opens the intermediate round. While the top-5 fight for the best starting position for the Playoffs 2020, the down-6 battle for the last three remaining spots in the postseason.

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4 facts ahead of the first round of the intermediate round:

  • EC Red Bull Salzburg against HCB Südtirol Alperia will be broadcasted live on Sky Sport Austria 1 HD.
  • Reigning champion EC-KAC is free of play.
  • Hydro Fehérvár AV19 heads into its 700th game in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga.
  • With a home-win against Graz the spusu Vienna Capitals can celebrate their 600th win ever in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga.


Fr, 31.01.2020, 7.15 pm: EC Red Bull Salzburg – HCB Südtirol Alperia (Sky Sport HD)
Referees: SMETANA, STOLC, Riecken, Seewald.

  • Leader EC Red Bull Salzburg hosting HCB Südtirol Alperia will be broadcasted live on Sky Sport Austria 1 HD.
  • While RBS reached the Pick Round in every season since 2007/08, the HCB saved top-5 after first phase of Regular Season for the second time in a row.
  • Both won three out of the last four.
  • Each team grabbed two wins in the previous season meetings, with HCB winning both after shootout.
  • RBS won seven out of the last ten games against HCB.
  • RBS won 15 out of 25 home-games against HCB.
  • With Jean Philippe Lamoureux (94,9% | RBS) and Leland Irving (92,5% | HCB) the best two netminder of the league face each other.
  • Herburger, Mikkelson, Herzog, hari and Pallestrang are back on the team in Salzburg, while Raffl, Regner, Pilloni, Rauchenwald and Hughes are out.
  • HCB misses captain Anton Bernard and maybe Wiercioch, Giliati and Alberga.

Pregame Statements: Raphael Herburger (RBS) | Daniel Glira (HCB)


Fr, 31.01.2020, 7.15 pm: spusu Vienna Capitals – Moser Medical Graz99ers
Referees: OFNER, STERNAT, Nagy, Vaczi.

  • Both teams opened last year’s Pick Round with a home-win. (G99 5:3 vs. AVS resp. VIC 4:0 vs. HCB)
  • VIC opened 2018 with a shutout-win too (5:0 vs. MZA).
  • With a home-win against Graz the spusu Vienna Capitals can celebrate their 600th win ever in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga.
  • Both team’s form curve points upwards, as G99 and VIC grabbed points in eight out of ten games in January.
  • VIC won the past six home-games.
  • G99 won three out of four season meetings.
  • VIC won 70 out of 107 encounters with G99.
  • G99 succeeded only 15 times in 54 games in Vienna.
  • Setzinger, Collberg, Kirchschläger are out at the hosts.

Pregame Statements: Ryan Zapolski (VIC) | Ken Ograjensek (G99)


Fr, 31.01.2020, 6.30 pm: HC Orli Znojmo – Hydro Fehérvár AV19
Referees: PIRAGIC, SIEGEL, Hribar, Tschrepitsch.

  • After missing the Pick Round on the very last gameday, HC Orli Znojmo hosts Hydro Fehérvár AV19.
  • While ZNO plays for the fourth time straight in the Qualification Round, AVS reached top-6 past season.
  • ZNO won three out of the last four home-games, losing only to RBS.
  • AVS plays its first road-game for three weeks. The Hungarian side reached 23 out of 60 possible road-points in the first phase of Regular Season.
  • After ZNO won the first two encounters, AVS grabbed the last two.
  • Both teams face for the 45th time with ZNO winning 24.
  • Hydro Fehérvár AV19 heads into its 700th game in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga.

Pregame Statements: Anthony Luciani (ZNO) | Antti Karhula (AVS)


Fr, 31.01.2020, 7.15 pm: EC Panaceo VSV – Dornbirn Bulldogs
Referees: NIKOLIC M., TRILAR, Rezek, Schauer.

  • Top-ranked EC Panaceo VSV (8 bonus points) hosts bottom-placed Dornbirn Bulldogs.
  • VSV dominates all season meetings with a goal-difference of 22:6. The “eagles” never had five wins straight against the Bulldogs.
  • Both teams played Qualification Round in the past three seasons too. DEC reached Pick Round in 15/16 for the last time.
  • VSV won 24 out of 38 meetings.
  • VSV lost only three out of 19 home-games against DEC.
  • VSV finished first phase of Regular Season as third-best team with 2,0 points on average in front of the home crowd.

Pregame Statements: Markus Schlacher (VSV) | Stefan Häußle (DEC)


Fr, 31.01.2020, 7.15 pm: EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz – HC TWK Innsbruck „Die Haie“
Referees: GRUBER, NIKOLIC K., Bärnthaler, Sparer.

  • With a 3:0 shutout win the EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz finished the first phase of regular season on seventh position taking six bonus points for the Qualification Round. Opponent HC TWK Innsbruck “Die Haie” heads into the intermediate round with one bonus point.
  • Both teams missed Pick Round for the second time in a row.
  • Both opened the QR past season with a loss.
  • BWL won all four season encounter, the last in overtime (4:3), which was HCI’s lone point out of the past eleven games.
  • BWL won 49 out of 80 duels against HCI and eight of the past ten.
Pregame Statements: Marco Brucker (BWL) | Rob Pallin (HCI)