Release from 19.02.2024
In the coming days, it will be decided which teams from the Qualification Round groups will play for the last two playoff spots in next week's Pre-Playoffs and which teams from the Master Round will receive the right to pick their opponent in the Quarterfinals. The Rittner Buam SkyAlps are currently on the best way to finish the Master Round in first place. On Tuesday, the South Tyroleans will face their first rivals S.G. Cortina Hafro in a rearranged match. The penultimate round of the Intermediate Round is scheduled for Thursday. This includes a direct duel for the second place in Qualification Round A between the HC Meran/o Pircher and defending champion SIJ Acroni Jesenice.
Alps Hockey League | 20.02.2024 | Master Round:
Tue, 20.02.2024, 20:00: Rittner Buam SkyAlps - S.G. Cortina Hafro
Referees: MOSCHEN, STEFENELLI, Brondi, Fleischmann. | >> valcome.tv <<
On Tuesday there will be a rearranged match in the Master Round of the Alps Hockey League between league leader Rittner Buam SkyAlps and the first pursuer S.G. Cortina Hafro. The game was originally scheduled for the end of January, but the two teams faced each other in the IHL Series A finals back then. Ritten prevailed in a dramatic final series in overtime of game three. Cortina won the first leg of the Master Round with 6:4. The Italians are currently eight points behind the South Tyroleans in the table. Should Ritten pick up at least one point on Tuesday, they would win the Master Round. Cortina, on the other hand, need the points above all to increase the gap to the other teams. The current AHL runner-up is only two points ahead of fourth-placed Sterzing. However, a win at Ritten will be a difficult task, as the league leader have not lost in their last seven games in all competitions. In the Serie A final, however, they were beaten 4:0 by Cortina in game one in front of their home crowd.
Alps Hockey League | 22.02.2024 | Master Round:
Thu, 22.02.2024, 19:30: EK Die Zeller Eisbären - S.G. Cortina Hafro
Referees: HOLZER, VOICAN, Jäger, Weiss. | >> valcome.tv <<
Just two days after their visit to league leader Ritten, S.G. Cortina Hafro have to face the EK Die Zeller Eisbären. Fifth-placed Zell am See has not won any of its last three games and is in fifth place in the table with ten points. The team from the Pinzgau region, which has numerous injury worries in the moment, only picked up a total of seven points in the Master Round. They suffered a clear 0:5 defeat against Cortina in the first leg last Thursday. Both teams won away from home in the Regular Season.
Thu, 22.02.2024, 19:30: Rittner Buam SkyAlps - EC Bregenzerwald
Referees: BAJT, RUETZ, Cusin, Fecchio. | >> valcome.tv <<
League leader Rittner Buam Sky Alps also has a home game on Thursday. Their opponent will be sixth-placed EC Bregenzerwald. With eight points, the Vorarlberg team is currently two points behind fifth-placed Zell am See and four points behind fourth-placed Sterzing. Last Saturday, the Vorarlberg team suffered a clear 0:7 defeat at the Red Bull Hockey Juniors. Before that, they celebrated two wins in a row. However, the ECB have only won one of their last six games away from home. They lost the first leg of the Master Round against Ritten with 2:3, with the ECB even leading 2:1 in the meantime. Both teams celebrated one win each in the Regular Season.
Thu, 22.02.2024, 19:30: Red Bull Hockey Juniors - Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan
Referees: HLAVATY, KAINBERGER, Eisl, Seewald J. | >> valcome.tv <<
Important points in the fight for third place, or possibly even the second place should Cortina lose both on Tuesday and Thursday, are at stake in the game between the Red Bull Hockey Juniors and the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan. The Juniors currently have thirteen points, just ahead of the Broncos, who have twelve points. Last weekend, Salzburg celebrated an impressive 7:0 home win against Bregenzerwald, before losing twice to league leader Ritten during the week. Sterzing celebrated an important 4:3/OT home win against Cortina on Sunday. It was the first win for the South Tyroleans after four consecutive defeats. The Broncos particularly enjoy playing against the Juniors, as they have won all of their last five head-to-head meetings. The Young Bulls have only won two of the last ten encounters with WSV.
Alps Hockey League | 22.02.2024 | Qualification Round A:
Thu, 22.02.2024, 19:30: HC Meran/o Pircher - SIJ Acroni Jesenice
Referees: PIRAS, SCHAUER, Grisenti, Rinker. | >> valcome.tv <<
After SIJ Acroni Jesenice lost both games last week, the defending champion still have to worry about the Pre-Playoff qualification. In second place in Qualification Round A, the Slovenians are just one point ahead of the HC Meran/o Pircher with two rounds to go. Thursday's direct duel could therefore decide which of the two teams will follow Gherdeina into the Pre-Playoffs. At the end of QRA, Jesenice will face bottom-of-the-table Linz at home, while Merano will face leader Gherdeina on the road. Last week, the Eagles from South Tyrol were only in action once, losing at home to the Steel Wings with 2:7, while Jesenice were beaten by both Gherdeina and Celje. In the first leg of QRA, Jesenice beat Merano with 6:1. In the Regular Season, the home team always won.
Thu, 22.02.2024, 19:30: HK RST Pellet Celje - HC Gherdeina valgardena.it
Referees: KUMMER, LESNIAK, Javornik, Murnik. | >> valcome.tv <<
The HC Gherdeina valgardena.it's 4:1 away win in Linz means the South Tyroleans have qualified for the Pre-Playoffs. It was the fourth win in a row for the QRA league leader. The HK RST Pellet Celje celebrated a 6:4 away win in the inner-Slovenian duel in Jesenice on Saturday, but has no chance of reaching the Pre-Playoffs, because unlike Jesenice and Merano, the league newcomer will play their last game in QRA on Thursday. Celje can end the season on a positive note with a win against Val Gardena. The Slovenians have won two of the three duels so far this season. In the first leg of QRA, Celje celebrated a 6:3 away win in Gherdeina on January 25, which was also GHE´s last defeat of the current season.
Alps Hockey League | 22.02.2024 | Qualification Round B:
Thu, 22.02.2024, 19:30: EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel - EHC Lustenau
Referees: BULOVEC, REZEK, Bergant, Jeram. | >> valcome.tv <<
In Qualification Round B, leader EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel will play their last game on Thursday. The Tyroleans will face third-placed EHC Lustenau. The team from Vorarlberg is currently six points behind Kitzbühel and urgently needs a win to have a chance of making the Pre-Playoffs. However, they are only one point behind second-placed Unterland. The South Tyroleans visit Fassa on Thursday and host the KAC Future Team at the end of QRB. Lustenau will face Fassa at home on the final matchday. Kitzbühel need one point on Thursday to secure their place in the Pre-Playoffs; if they lose after 60 minutes, the Eagles would have to rely on other teams to help them to qualify. The Tyroleans are currently in very good form, with three wins in a row and eight victories from their last ten games. Lustenau have won three of their last five games and also celebrated a 6:4 victory in the first leg against Kitzbühel. The EHC also won both duels in the Regular Season after overtime.
Thu, 22.02.2024, 19:30: SHC Fassa Falcons - Hockey Unterland Cavaliers
Referees: BENVEGNU, OREL, De Zordo, Puff. | >> valcome.tv <<
In the second game of QRB, the Hockey Unterland Cavaliers can clinch a Pre-Playoff spot with a win and a defeat of Lustenau in Kitzbühel. They currently have a one-point lead over the EHC. The South Tyroleans play at the bottom of the table SHC Fassa Falcons. The Italians have only won two of their six Qualification Round games so far. Unterland are also not in outstanding form, but secured an important 5:4 home win against Lustenau last Thursday in the duel for second place. However, the Vorarlberg side still won the head-to-head, which would put the EHC ahead of Unterland in the table if they were tied on points. The team from Neumarkt has won two of the three duels against Fassa so far this season.
Copyright: Max Pattis