Last round in fight for home advantage in pre-playoffs

Alps Hockey League | Thursday, March 18th 2021:
Th, 18.03.2021, 8.00 pm: EC Bregenzerwald – HC Gherdeina valgardena.it
Referees: LEHNER, SCHAUER, Huber J., Reisinger. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
HC Gherdeina valgardena.it (#10) - its winning streak of seven victories was ended by Jesenice in overtime on Saturday - is still fighting for home advantage in the pre-playoffs on the last gameday of the regular season. As tenth, the South Tyroleans still have a chance to finish eighth - for this they need a win after regulation. Their immediate rivals Feldkirch (#8) and Lustenau (#9) have to drop points: VEU after regulation and EHC after OT or SO. Opponent EC Bregenzerwald (#12), recently without a win in the last three games, still has the possibility to move up to eleventh place, but must get one more point than Sterzing to do so. The home team has won nine of the previous eleven confrontations.

• H2H AHL: ECB – GHE 3:8

Th, 18.03.2021, 8.00 pm: EHC Lustenau – Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey
Referees: HOLZER T., HUBER A., Martin, Spiegel. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
The ninth-placed EHC Lustenau still has the chance to move up to eighth place on the last ameday and thus secure home advantage in the pre-playoffs. In order to achieve this, the "Stickers" have to get two points more than VEU Feldkirch in the parallel game against the Rittner Buam on the last game day. To do so, however, Lustenau will need an improvement in performance compared to the last few gamedays: they have lost their last four encounters and face a top four team in Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey, which arrives with five wins in a row and have always scored on the road in eight of their last nine games. The first duel of the season at the beginning of February was a clear affair for the Italians with 7:1. In addition to Anthony Morrone, Lucas Loibnegger, Frederik Rasmussen and Timo Demuth, who have been injured for some time, Philip Winzig is now also out for Lustenau.

• H2H AHL: EHC – ASH 4:7

Th, 18.03.2021, 8.00 pm: EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel – HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana
Referees: WALLNER, WUNTSCHEK, Eisl, Kainberger. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel will close the 2020/21 season with a home game against HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana. Both teams can no longer change their positions: The Tyroleans will definitely finish the season in 15th place, the Slovenians will start the postseason top-seeded as regular season winners. Kitzbühel is without success since seven games, Ljubljana won ten of the last eleven games. With 88.1%, the "Dragons" continue to have the best penalty killing in the league. The Slovenians have won the last four comparisons with the Austrians (goal difference: 25:7).

• H2H AHL: KEC – HKO 2:5

Th, 18.03.2021, 8.00 pm: VEU Feldkirch – Rittner Buam
Referees: BRUNNER, RUETZ, Matthey, Rinker. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
While the Rittner Buam will definitely have home advantage in the pre-playoffs, VEU Feldkirch is still fighting to be able to play a possible deciding game to reach the quarterfinals on their own ice. Feldkirch has the clearly better starting position compared to Lustenau and Gardena: against both competitors, VEU would have an advantage if they were tied on points. With each victory, the Vorarlbergers have a fixed home advantage. Both teams have been convincing recently: VEU won the last two encounters, Ritten the last three. The first meeting two months ago in Klobenstein was decided by the Rittner Buam with 2:1 after overtime. At that time Buam captain Dan Tudin provided the decision, who could possibly make his comeback on Thursday after a long injury break. In addition to the injured Michael Lang and Kevin Fink, Ritten is also missing Philipp Pechlaner for disciplinary reasons. In the previous five duels between the two teams in Feldkirch, Ritten has always scored three points.

• H2H AHL: VEU – RIT 2:9

Th, 18.03.2021, 8.00 pm: EC-KAC II – S.G. Cortina Hafro
Referees: OREL, PODLESNIK, Puff, Schweighofer. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
EC-KAC II closes the 2020/21 season with a home game against S.G. Cortina Hafro. For the Italians - they will definitely finish regular season on the fifth place - this duel is considered as a last form check for the pre-playoffs starting on Saturday. The first meeting of the season saw a total of twelve goals, with Cortina winning 7:5 in the end. The guests have won eight of their last nine games - and have only suffered one defeat against Klagenfurt.

• H2H AHL: KA2 – SGC 1:8

Th, 18.03.2021, 8.00 pm: Steel Wings Linz – SHC Fassa Falcons
Referees: DURCHNER, HEINRICHER, Pötscher, Schonaklener. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
The Steel Wings Linz and the SHC Fassa Falcons each commit their final game of the season on Thursday. Both teams have no more chance to reach the postseason. While the Italians - with them Diego Iori returns to the line-up after his suspension - arrive with four defeats in a row, Linz managed the very big sensation with the 2-1 overtime win in Jesenice on Saturday. At home, the Upper Austrians are still waiting for a point win. So far, Fassa has won all comparisons with Linz.

• H2H AHL: SWL – FAS 0:5

Th, 18.03.2021, 8.00 pm: HC Pustertal Wölfe – Red Bull Hockey Juniors
Referees: BENVEGNU, MOSCHEN, Basso, Cristeli. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
The HC Pustertal Wölfe fights on the last gameday in a long-distance duel with HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice for second place after the end of the basic round - and thus home right also in a possible semifinal series. The South Tyroleans need a success after rgulation and at the same time a defeat after 60 minutes of competitor Jesenice at the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan. In the last nine games, the team from Bruneck has always scored, losing only one of them (1:2 OT vs. JES). For the Red Bull Hockey Juniors, it's all about taking a good feeling for the pre-playoffs on the last matchday - sixth place is no longer out of reach for them: Recently, there were five defeats in a row. In the eleven games against each other so far, the home team has been victorious nine times.

• H2H AHL: PUS – RBJ 7:4

Th, 18.03.2021, 8.00 pm: Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan – HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice
Referees: LAZZERI, VIRTA, Bedana, Rigoni. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan and HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice meet each other in Ritten after the South Tyroleans played their last home games since the hall collapse in Bressanone. Jesenice is currently in second place. The Slovenians, who surprisingly lost to Linz on the last gameday, confirm this with every point gained or even if the third-placed HC Pustertal does not score fully. The "Broncos" - they have scored in four of their last five games - want to defend the eleventh place and thus fix the duel with Red Bull Hockey Juniors, against whom they won three of four season encounters, in the pre-playoffs.

• H2H AHL: WSV – JES 2:9