Release from 22.02.2024
Tomorrow, Friday, the 52nd and final round of the Regular Season of the win2day ICE Hockey League will take place. All decisions in the battle for the Top-6 and thus early Playoff qualification have been made since Wednesday. But the battle for the second Champions Hockey League ticket is exciting till the end. Second-placed Hydro Fehérvár AV19 currently has a two-point lead over third-placed EC Red Bull Salzburg. In the top game of the round, fourth-placed HCB Südtirol Alperia will host Regular Season champion EC-KAC. The EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV will play at the spusu Vienna Capitals in the PULS 24 live game. At HK SZ Olimpija head coach Antti Karhula extended his contract by two seasons, until the end of the 2025/26 season. On Friday, the ninth-placed team in the table from Slovenia will play at the Steinbach Black Wings Linz.
The Pre-Playoff pick takes place immediately after the 52nd round. The seventh-placed team in the table will choose their opponent for the Pre-Playoffs. The pairings will then be announced on the win2day ICE Hockey League channels and as part of the PULS 24 live broadcast. The "best-of-3" Pre-Playoff series will start on Sunday, February 25.
win2day ICE Hockey League | 23.02.2024 | Round 52:
Fri, 23.02.2024, 19:15: Moser Medical Graz99ers - Hydro Fehérvár AV19
Referees: HLAVATY, REZEK, Muzsik, Vaczi. | >> live.ice.hockey <<
Bottom of the table Moser Medical Graz99ers end a disappointing season with a home game against Hydro Fehérvár AV19. The second-placed team from Hungary won 6:3 at Olimpija on Wednesday despite trailing 1:3 in the meantime and thus remain two points ahead of third-placed EC Red Bull Salzburg. The second place means the Champions Hockey League qualification. The Red Bulls will play in Pustertal. A win, whether after 60 minutes, overtime or shootout, would guarantee Fehérvár the second place in the table. The defending champion will only overtake Székesfehérvár if Salzburg pick up two more points than Fehérvár, as Salzburg have won the direct duel. With Graz, Fehérvár has a manageable opponent in the last game in the Regular Season. The 99ers have been waiting for a point in ten matches, but won their first home game against Fehérvár 6:4. The 2022 finalist won both encounters in Hungary.
Fri, 23.02.2024, 19:15: spusu Vienna Capitals - EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV
Referees: SIEGEL, SMETANA, Bärnthaler, Bedynek. | >> PULS 24 (available worldwide) <<
In the PULS 24 live game, the spusu Vienna Capitals faces the EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV. The Austrian capitals will conclude its season on Friday after finishing eleventh in the table and missing out on the postseason for the first time in 19 seasons. Villach secured a narrow 1:0 home win on Wednesday to finish in the Top-6. Goalkeeper J.P. Lamoureux was the player of the match, saving all 33 shots on goal to record his first shutout of the season and also become the win2day top performer of the 51st round. As sixth in the table, the "Eagles" still have the chance to move up to fourth place on the final matchday. They are two points behind fourth-placed Bolzano. VSV have won three of their last five games, but have only won one of their last five games away from home. The Capitals have been beaten in all of their last three games, most recently losing 1:6 in Salzburg on Wednesday. Vienna have won two of their three head-to-head meetings with Villach so far this season.
Fri, 23.02.2024, 19:15: Steinbach Black Wings Linz - HK SZ Olimpija
Referees: FICHTNER, NIKOLIC M., Puff, Riecken. | >> live.ice.hockey <<
The Steinbach Black Wings Linz also secured their place in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. It is the first direct Playoff qualification for the Upper Austrians since 2018. In Asiago, they turned a 0:1 deficit into a 4:1 victory in the final period. Player of the game was Shawn St-Amant, who was involved in all four goals. With a total of 49 points, the Canadian is BWL's second-best scorer behind Graham Knott (55 points). In fifth place in the table, the Black Wings are only one point behind fourth-placed Bolzano, but only one point ahead of sixth-placed Villach. The HK SZ Olimpija is back in action just two days after their visit to Linz. The Slovenians finish the Regular Season in ninth place, which means they will start the Pre-Playoffs with an away game on Sunday. On Wednesday, Ljubljana lost 3:6 to Fehérvár despite leading 3:1 in the meantime. It was the third defeat in a row for the "Dragons". However, Olimpija are very stable away from home. With a total of 36 points, they are even the fifth-best away team in the league. The Black Wings, on the other hand, are the fifth-best home team in the win2day ICE Hockey League. The Upper Austrians have always been victorious in the direct duels so far this season.
Karhula stays as head coach of Olimpija
Antti Karhula has extended his contract as head coach of HK SZ Olimpija by two seasons, until the end of the 2025/26 season. The 47-year-old Finn has been with the Slovenian club since January 26, 2023.
Fri, 23.02.2024, 19:15: HC TIWAG Innsbruck - Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey
Referees: GROZNIK, ZRNIC, Nothegger, Snoj. | >> live.ice.hockey <<
The HC TIWAG Innsbruck has play in the Pre-Playoffs after a narrow 0:1 defeat in Villach. As seventh in the table, the Tyroleans are three points behind the VSV, but since they lost the direct duel, they can no longer overtake the "Eagles". In the last game of the Regular Season, the HCI must secure the seventh place. To do so, they need at least two points against Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey, should eighth-placed Pustertal win against Salzburg after regulation. The South Tyroleans are two points behind the Tyroleans, but have won the direct duel. The seventh-placed team in the table can choose its opponent in the Pre-Playoff pick. With Asiago, Innsbruck will face the twelfth-placed team in the table. Although the northern Italians have only won two of their last eight games, they were on a par for long stretches against both Linz and Bolzano. Asiago have won one of their three matches against Innsbruck so far this season.
Fri, 23.02.2024, 19:15: HCB Südtirol Alperia - EC-KAC
Referees: OFNER, PIRAGIC, Hribar, Zgonc. | >> live.ice.hockey <<
In the top game of the 52nd round, last year's finalist HCB Südtirol Alperia faces Regular Season champion EC-KAC. Bolzano secured their Playoff spot on Wednesday with a clear 7:0 away win in Graz. As fourth in the table, Bolzano is just one point ahead of Linz, with Villach just one more point behind. Leader Klagenfurt were not playing on Wednesday. The hottest team in the league has won all of its last six games, with the KAC celebrating a total of nine wins from their last ten games. Bolzano have won three of their last five games and have won a total of seven of their last ten games. They were victorious against the KAC in one of three encounters. The "Foxes" lost 2:4 at home in September.
Fri, 23.02.2024, 19:15: HC Pustertal - EC Red Bull Salzburg
Referees: HRONSKY, HUBER, Durmis, Konc. | >> live.ice.hockey <<
Since Wednesday it is clear that the HC Pustertal has to enter the Pre-Playoffs. The team in eighth place in the table narrowly lost 3:4 at the Pioneers and therefore no longer has a chance of overtaking Villach. On the final matchday, the South Tyroleans will host the EC Red Bull Salzburg, who are third in the table and still have a small chance of winning the second Champions Hockey League ticket, which will be awarded in the Regular Season. To overtake second-placed Fehérvár, the Red Bulls need two points more than the Hungarians, who play in Graz. Pustertal, on the other hand, need two points more than Innsbruck to move up to the seventh place. The Tyroleans face Asiago at home. However, a win against Salzburg will be a difficult task for the HCP, as the Red Bulls have won all of their last five games. However, Pustertal managed a brilliant 7:1 away win in the last direct duel. RBS won the other two encounters this season.