Release from 03.03.2025

"I've Never Experienced a Game Like This Before" | Playoff Time Travel with Manuel Ganahl

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792 games in the win2day ICE Hockey League, 498 career points, 95 playoff appearances, and one championship title – Manuel Ganahl has seen it all in his career. But even for a seasoned veteran like him, the first quarterfinal game of this year’s playoffs was a first. “I’ve never experienced a game like this before,” said the 34-year-old forward after the Graz99ers’ 9:6 victory, clearly surprised. Despite the win, he saw plenty of room for improvement. In this article, we take a look at Ganahl’s insights and take a trip down his playoff memory lane.

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"I’ve Never Experienced a Game Like This BeforeIt didn’t feel like a playoff game at all. After two weeks without a match, it was important to get off to a good start, and we did that. But this back-and-forth and so many easy goals – that’s something we have to eliminate. We need to analyze a lot and show up differently on Tuesday,” said Ganahl immediately after the 9:6 win for Graz in Game 1 of the quarterfinals. And when someone like Manuel Ganahl makes a statement like that, it carries weight – after all, he has 792 ICEHL games under his belt, including 95 in the playoffs.

Playoff Time Travel with Manuel Ganahl
Ganahl made his ICEHL debut in the 2009/10 season with the Moser Medical Graz99ers. In his very first season, he helped his team reach the playoffs. However, the Graz squad saw their 2-0 series lead slip away as they were eliminated by Zagreb. Over the next five seasons, Ganahl and the 99ers reached the postseason two more times, but a trip beyond the quarterfinals remained out of reach.

In 2015, Ganahl signed with EC-KAC, where he scored his first two playoff goals in his debut season – a double in Game 3 of the quarterfinals. But the big breakthrough still eluded him, as KAC fell in a tight 3-4 series to eventual champions Red Bull Salzburg. The following season finally saw him break through the quarterfinal barrier – all the way to the finals. However, the Red Jackets fell short against the Vienna Capitals. It would take several more years before Ganahl could finally lift the championship trophy.

The Hero Moment: Champion 2020/21
After four more seasons with KAC – including a stint in Finland’s Liiga with the Pelicans and Lukko – the big moment finally arrived in 2020/21. Ganahl played a key role in KAC’s championship-winning campaign, finally calling himself an ICE champion.

Three years later – fast forward to last year’s playoffs – he once again reached the finals. But once again, Salzburg shattered his championship dreams, just as they had in his debut season with KAC. What made it even more remarkable? Even though his return to the Graz99ers had already been confirmed, Ganahl was one of the standout players of the playoffs, posting 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) – the best postseason performance of his career.

New Goals with His "old" Club
Now, Ganahl is back in Graz – the place where his professional career began. And in his first playoff game back, the Styrians put on an offensive showcase, lighting up the scoreboard in a 9:6 thriller to open the quarterfinals. But despite the high-scoring spectacle, the ambitious forward remains unsatisfied. His focus is set on the road ahead, with his next major milestone just around the corner: he’s only two points away from reaching the magical 500-point mark in the win2day ICE Hockey League.