Last round before the November-break

>>Both - EC VSV and EHC LIWEST Black Wings Linz - will start with confidence into their last game before the International Break after wins: The Eagles won on Friday at Salzburg 5:3 and returned, following their trend since end of September 2017 – 2L/2W/2L/2W/2L and now 1W… - after two defeats on the winning-street again.  The Upper Austrians on the other side were on Fire and convinced with a 8:1-home-win over KHL Medvescak Zagreb.

>>The defense of EC VSV will be required on Sunday. With the Black Wings arrives the best offensive team at Villach, the Steel Citizens scored in 17 games 60 goals. Besides the Linzer Brian Lebler made so far the most goals (12). Villachs best goal-scorer is Miha Velic, who was successful so far nine times.

>>The Black Wings played so far nine road-games in Erste Bank Eishockey Liga 2017/18. So far the games always were an up and down, after a victory always followed a defeat and so on. Lately the Upper Austrians lost at Bozen. So if this series continues Brian Lebler and Co. must leave Villach with a win on Sunday…

>>EC VSV could not get three points at home since round 2. In their last six home-games the Eagles collected just five points (two wins). In the home-ranking Villach is in this moment with 11 points just on place 11. Should Fehervar AV19 win on Saturday at home vs. HCB Südtirol Alperia the Eagles would even be on the bottom. On the road on the other side Nikolas Petrik and Co. collected already twelve points.

>>The last three clashes between Villach and Linz were won by the road-team, inter alia EC VSV won the first season-clash at Linz 6:5.

Quotes:
Greg Holst, Headcoach EC VSV: „It is our mentality to fight until the end and we must play aggressiv and we have to Forecheck.“
Joel Broda, Forward EHC LIWEST Black Wings Linz: „We had the killer instinct lately. We want to perform like this in all games!“

 

>>HCB Südtirol Alperia makes on Sunday at Zagreb the second game within 24 hours. The Foxes will play also on Saturday at Szekesfehervar.
>>For Bozen it is the second back-to-back-weekend 2017/18. In October the Italians lost first at Vienna and won then the next day at Znojmo.
>>KHL Medvescak Zagreb showed two faces so far, at home top, on the road…! On Friday the Croatians lost for the fourth time in a row on the road at Linz with 1:8. Completly different looks the home-statistic of the League-returnees: At home the Bears collected points in all eight games (six wins), lately Tom Zanoski and Co. left the Dom Sportova four times in a row as the winner.
>>HCB Südtirol Alperia will make their first game at Zagreb on Sunday.
>>The first season-clash Bozen won at home with 4:1.

Quotes:
Connor Cameron, Headcoach KHL Medvescak Zagreb: „Bozen is visiting us on Sunday. In the first game away, we did not play well as we know and could, and we were punished for this. But at home we play with self-confidence and I believe that we will make it up for the previous defeat, in front of our splendid supporters!“
Pat Curcio, Headcoach HCB Südtirol Alperia: „The moral of the team is good. We want to get all points in the last game before the International Break at Zagreb and make a step forward in the ranking.“

 

>>Dornbirn Bulldogs and Vienna Capitals started the November with road-wins. The Vorarlberger won on Friday following their trend – in Dornbirn‘s last five games a win and a defeat always rotated – at Graz 3:2 and Vienna won at Innsbruck 4:1. For the Leader it was the first success after three defeats in a row. JP Lamoureux had a great comeback with 35 saves.

>>Home strength vs. road-power! The Dornbirn Bulldogs got points in their last four home-games (three wins). The Vienna Capitals are the best team (on the road), the Champion collected already 19 points (six wins) from eight road-games.

>>Die Capitals scored on the road so far the highest number of goals (33) and received the fewst number (16).

>>The Vienna Capitals won the last five meetings with the Dornbirn Bulldogs.
>>The Vienna Capitals are also top in Power Play and Penalty Killing.

Quotes:
Dave MacQueen, Headcoach Dornbirn Bulldogs: „It has a reason, Vienna is the number 1. They have a lot of depth, a lot of talent and play a very structured game.“
Aaron Brocklehurst, defenseman Vienna Capitals: „To beat Dornbirn it needs a cncentrated game from us over 60 minutes!“

 

Referees: CHRISTIANSEN, K. NIKOLIC, Nagy, Seewald.
>>With HC Orli Znojmo and HC TWK Innsbruck „Die Haie“ the two clubs, that have the longest loosing-streak in this moment in Erste Bank Eishockey League, will face on Sunday: The Tyroleans lost their last two games, the Czechs did not even win for seven matches. One team will end their suffer in the last game before the break.
>>HC TWK Innsbruck „Die Haie“ is Fourth in Erste Bank Eishockey Liga with 25 points, HC Orli Znojmo only on place 9. Nevertheless Znojmo can overtake the Sharks on Sunday with three points at home, because there are just two points between this two clubs!
>>Both teams had problems to score goals lately. Both - the „Red Eagles“ and the Sharks - made just four goals in their last three games. The Czechs also took more shots on the net in the last three games then their opponents, but without big success.
>>Goalie Patrik Nechvatal returns with HCI for the first time as an opponent to Znojmo. Also Stach and Sedivy return with the Sharks in their home-country.
>>HC TWK Innsbruck „Die Haie“ won the last two meetings, inter alia the first season-clash at home 7:1.
Quotes:
Dominik Tejnor, defenseman of HC Orli Znojmo: „We want to make the turn-around before the break, on Sunday at home against Innsbruck. The break we will use for practicing and regeneration. In practice it works with the goals. Maybe we have to go more aggressive to the net.”
Lubomir Stach, defenseman HC TWK Innsbruck „Die Haie“: „Our whole focus is on the game at Znojmo. The League is so tight, each point very important!“

 

Referees: BALUSKA, SIEGEL, Nemeth, Soos.
>>Against the Moser Medical Graz99ers Fehervar AV19 makes their second game within 24 hours on Sunday. The Devils are in action also on Saturday, they welcome HCB Südtirol Alperia in the bottom-clash.
>>The 99ers will fight on Sunday at Fehervar AV19 against their bad run on the road. The Mur Citizens lost their last three road-games. Totally the Styrians returned back home with a win just twice from eight road-games. But following their trend, W/L/L/L/W/L/L/L…, the Styrians must leave Hungary with three points on Sunday.
>>Both teams had problems in the defense so far, received the most goals: The 99ers got already 62 goals from 17 games, Fehervar AV19  58 goals from 16 games.
>>The Moser Medical Graz99ers won the last four meetings, inter alia the first season-clash at home with 5:2.
>>Fehervar AV19 (152 PIM) and the Moser Medical Graz99ers (161 PIM) belong to the fairest teams. Just Dornbirn Bulldogs (132 PIM) got less penalty minutes.
Quotes:
Benoit Laporte, Headcoach Fehervar AV19: „We did a good job in the defense lately at Dornbin. This mentality we want to show also in our next games and we want to keep the points at home this weekend, to go with a good feeling into the break!“
Clemens Unterweger, defenseman Moser Medical Graz99ers: „We must work harder to get the points in Hungary!“

 

>>EC-KAC won the last five games. EC Red Bull Salzburg is still representing the Erste Bank Eishockey League in the round of 16 in Champions Hockey League (CHL). The Mozart Citizens winning-series ended on Friday at home against Villach.
>>EC-KAC is Third in Erste Bank Eishockey Liga with 30 points (ten wins) from 17 games, but has a negative goal-score (43:45). Salzburg is Fifth with 24 points (8 wins, score 55:52) from 17 games.
>>The fifth best home-team faces the fifth best road-team: Klagenfurt collected 18 points (6 wins) from nine home-games so far, following a clear trend: N/S/S/N/S/S/N/S/S…! The Red Bulls got nine points (3 wins) from eight road-games so far. Their last two road-games at Vienna and Innsbruck the Red Bulls won.
>>Salzburg won the first season-clash with 6:3.
>>Salzburg is in action already on Tuesday again at Vaxjö in the round of 16 in Champions Hockey League. EC-KAC has then ten days „free“: Klagenfurt welcomes next on Wednesday, November 15th 2017, KHL Medvescak Zagreb. 
Quotes:
Marco Brucker, Forward EC-KAC: „The last wins gave us all confidence. We find ways to win the games. Salzburg is one of the best teams in the League, but we want to play our game again and we want to win also the last game before the International Break.“
Alexander Rauchenwald, Forward EC Red Bull Salzburg: „We expect another tough fight at Klagenfurt, hopefully with a better end then vs. Villach.“

 

HC Orli Znojmo signed 32-year old US-Center Adam Miller, who has previous Erste Bank Eishockey League experience with KHL Medvescak Zagreb (2012/13) and Dornbirn Bulldogs (2014/15, scoring 61 points (21G/40A9 from 74 games. He will join the team during the upcoming international break. Last season Miller, who is known as a reliable scorer, spend with Rouen in France, scoring 58 points from 63 games. Besides the 32 years old Forward played in Europe already in Finland, Sweden and Denmark. 2013 he also was one season in Asia, winning the title there. Sports manager Rostislav Docekal knows: "We know we need to improve efficiency of our offense. Adam is a player who has all the right abilities for us to manage that. With his addition we aim to improve the quality of our first line and our powerplay." Also, Marek Racuk has been released by the club.