KAC and Caps snatch home advantage in playoff opener

win2day ICE Hockey League, Quarterfinals - Game 1:

Salzburg also wins first game of the finals rematch

Last season EC Red Bull Salzburg won the championship with a sweep in the final series against Hydro Fehérvár AV19. In the first game of this year's finals rematch, Salzburg continued their playoff winning streak: season-to-date, the Red Bulls are already unbeaten in 13 playoff games. Just like the final series in 2022, the first quarterfinal game in 2023 was also hard-fought. The opening goal of this series was scored by 21-year-old Lucas Thaler. The Hungarians initially equalized in the second period before the reigning champions went up 3:1 by the early stages of the final period. Anze Kuralt managed to score the connecting goal with just under ten minutes remaining, but Atte Tolvannen, last season's playoff MVP, did not allow the overtime. Fehérvár thus remains without a success against Salzburg this season. The last success of the Hungarians in Salzburg dates from 15.12.2019. After that, it set ten away defeats in a row. Already on Friday, the Hungarians have the chance to equalize the series in their home rink in Székesfehérvár.



Caps steal home advantage from the Sharks after furious final minutes

On 20.03.2018, HC TIWAG Innsbruck and the spusu Vienna Capitals last faced each other in the playoffs. This was also the last playoff game for the Tyroleans. Accordingly, the third-place team of the current season started hungry into its postseason comeback. After just over five minutes, the Sharks already led 2-0, but the Caps fought their way back into the match through an unleashed Max Zimmer. With a brace until the 28th minute, the US American equalized. Now Innsbruck took command again, who eventually went into the final period with a 2-goal lead. In the first eight minutes of the final period, this could also be defended. But then the Caps ignited the playoff turbo. Within ten minutes, the Viennese scored four times and finally decided the match 6:4 in their favor. Max Zimmer shot his way to the top of the win2day ICE Hockey League scoring list with a hat trick. The series now shifts to Vienna at the series score of 1-0 for the Caps. Quarterfinal Game 2 on Friday will be broadcast live on PULS 24.



KAC takes home advantage in derby series

In 48 games in the Regular Season of the win2day ICE Hockey League, no team managed to inflict a shutout defeat on EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV. Promptly, in the most important game of the season so far, local rival EC-KAC, of all teams, managed to do so, winning the first game of the "best-of-seven" quarterfinal series 4-0. While the derbies so far in the regular season could not have been more even - each game was decided by a one-goal difference - the KAC presented themselves as superior in the playoff opener. The visitors took a 2:0 lead in the first period with some spectacular goals. In the middle period, the hosts from Villach increased the pressure and seemed to have arrived in the playoffs, even if Sebastian Dahm could not be overcome. In the final period Klagenfurt took control of the game again, also because Andrew Desjardins was given a penalty. In the five-minute overtime period, Lukas Haudum finally provided the preliminary decision with the 3:0. The KAC finally prevailed 4:0 and can now experience playoff atmosphere for the first time in the Heidi-Horten-Arena on Friday with a series lead.



Regular Season winner starts with shutout in the playoffs

The HCB Südtirol Alperia presented itself as the measure of all things already in the Regular Season. In the quarterfinal opener against the Steinbach Black Wings Linz, the South Tyroleans left no stone unturned and took a commanding 2-0 shutout win to take the series lead. The Upper Austrians, who were the last team to clinch their quarterfinal ticket just two days ago, were forced to accept a 0:1 deficit in the first period when they were shorthanded. The Upper Austrians created numerous chances in the middle third, but could not overcome Bolzano goalkeeper Sam Harvey. Mitchell Hults was much more efficient for the South Tyroleans. He made it 2-0 with his second goal of the evening in the 39th minute. Harvey also excelled a few more times in the following period and promptly earned a shutout victory in his first playoff game ever in Europe, giving the Foxes a 1-0 series lead.

win2day ICE Hockey League, Quarterfinals - Game 1:

EC Red Bull Salzburg - Hydro Fehérvár AV19 3:2 (1:0,1:1,1:1)
Standings in the "best-of-seven" quarterfinal series: 1:0
Referees: SIEGEL, STERNAT, Bedynek, Konc
Goals RBS: Thaler (13.), Schneider (32.), Genoway (42./PP1),
Goals AVS: Terbocs (27.), Kuralt (50.)

HC TIWAG Innsbruck - spusu Vienna Capitals 4:6 (2:1,2:1,0:4)
Standings in the "best-of-seven" quarterfinal series: 0:1
Referees: NIKOLIC K., ZRNIC, Nothegger, Seewald
Goals HCI: Feldner (2.), Jakubitzka (6.), Shaw (32.), Mackin (38./PP2),
Goals VIC: Zimmer (13.;28./PP1, 57.), Hartl (49.), Bradley (58.), Prokes (59./EN)

EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV - EC-KAC 0:4 (0:2,0:0,0:2)
Standings in the "best-of-seven" quarterfinal series: 0:1
Referees: HRONSKY, SMETANA, Durmis, Jedlicka | LIVE on PULS 24
Goals KAC: Lessio (8.), Ticar (14./pp1), Haudum (48./pp1), Petersen (60./EN)

HCB Südtirol Alperia - Steinbach Black Wings Linz 2:0 (1:0,1:0,0:0)
Standings in the "best-of-seven" quarterfinal series: 1:0
Referees: GROZNIK, PIRAGIC, Snoj, Zgonc
Goals HCB: Hults (14./pp1.;39.)