KAC clinch Playoff berth | Salzburg win spectacular top game

Despite being heavily short-handed, EC-KAC proved too strong for the Black Wings once again. The Klagenfurt side claimed their fifth straight win, officially punching the first playoff ticket for 2026. In an entertaining contest, the league leaders secured a 5–3 victory and extended their lead over closest challengers Graz to four points. Linz suffered their second consecutive defeat and remain eighth in the standings, holding a three-point advantage over 11th-placed Villach. In front of nearly 4,500 fans, the Linz set the early pace and even built a 2–0 lead through goals from Ken Ograjensek (9th, PP1) and Graham Knott (24th). Just ninety seconds later, the hosts had a power-play chance to make it 3–0, but instead conceded as Clemens Unterweger pulled one back, before Matt Fraser equalised less than a minute later. Linz regained the lead in the 36th minute through Logan Roe, but once again the league leaders responded immediately, levelling the score in the 39th minute on the power play via Raphael Herburger. In the final period, the KAC took the lead for the first time in the 47th minute through Nick Petersen, a deficit the Black Wings could not overcome. Jan Mursak sealed the win with an empty-net goal 30 seconds from the end. It was Klagenfurt’s third win over Linz in their third meeting of the season.

Salzburg win spectacular top game and secure third place
In the top matchup of the day, EC Red Bull Salzburg celebrated a thrilling 7–4 home win over HCB Südtirol Alperia. As a result, the Red Bulls strengthened their grip on third place, moving three points clear of Bolzano and closing to within three points of second-placed Graz. Michael Raffl was the only player to score twice in the high-scoring affair. The visitors from South Tyrol made the better start, opening the scoring after just 82 seconds through Brett Pollock. However, Salzburg responded perfectly in the sixth minute, with Thomas Raffl netting the equaliser. For the 39-year-old, it was goal number 346 in his 1,004th league appearance. The teams went into the first intermission tied 1–1. After the restart, Bolzano took control and surged ahead to a 3–1 lead by the 25th minute. Salzburg then responded emphatically, scoring four unanswered goals before the end of the middle frame to take a 5–3 advantage. The final period produced fewer goals, but when Brad McClure scored the 4–5 in the 55th minute, the tension rose once more. Michael Raffl quickly put the game to rest just 90 seconds later, before the former NHL star added an empty-netter in the closing seconds. It marked Salzburg’s third win over Bolzano in their fourth meeting of the season.

Pustertal give Budapest no chance
HC Falkensteiner Pustertal defeated FTC-Telekom 5–1, recording their third consecutive win. The South Tyroleans climbed to fifth place in the standings, overtaking Olimpija Ljubljana. Budapest remain tenth, just one point ahead of 11th-placed Villach. In the fourth meeting between the two sides this season, the Hungarian league newcomers suffered their first loss against Pustertal. Mikael Frycklund was named Player of the Game, finishing with two goals and two assists. The 32-year-old centre scored both the 2–0 goal and the 5–1 final tally. Matthias Mantinger opened the scoring in the 13th minute. The visitors pulled one back to make it 1–2 during the second period and created several chances to equalise in the final frame. However, when Henry Bowlby made it 3–1 in the 52nd minute, the resistance was broken, and Budapest ultimately suffered their third straight defeat.

win2day ICE Hockey League
Sun, 18.01.26:
HC Falkensteiner Pustertal - FTC-Telekom 5:1 (1:0, 1:1, 3:0)
Referees: M. NIKOLIC, OFNER, Pardatscher, Rigoni
Goals HCP: 1:0 Mantinger M. (13.), 2:0 Frycklund M. (26./PP1), 3:1 Bowlby H. (52.), 4:1 Ierullo A. (54./PP1), 5:1 Frycklund M. (58./EN)
Goal FTC: 2:1 Kestila A. (29.)

EC Red Bull Salzburg - HCB Südtirol Alperia 7:4 (1:1, 4:2, 2:1)
Referees: FICHTNER, SMETANA, Gatol, Riecken
Goals RBS: 1:1 Raffl T. (6./PP1), 2:3 Huber M. (27.), 3:3 Baltram F. (32.), 4:3 Nissner B. (37.), 5:3 Thaler L. (39./PP2), 6:4 Raffl M. (57.), 7:4 Raffl M. (60./EN)
Goals HCB: 0:1 Pollok B. (2.), 1:2 Brunner P. (23.), 1:3 Gersich S. (25./PP1), 5:4 McClure B. (55.)

Steinbach Black Wings Linz - EC-KAC 3:5 (1:0, 2:3, 0:2)
Referees: SIEGEL, STERNAT, Durmis, Konc
Goals BWL: 1:0 Ograjensek K. (9./PP1), 2:0 Knott G. (24.), 3:2 Roe L. (36.)
Goals KAC: 2:1 Unterweger C. (26./SH1), 2:2 Fraser M. (27.), 3:3 Herburger R. (39./PP1), 3:4 Petersen N. (47.), 3:5 Mursak J. (60./EN)