Release from 31.12.2023
There are only two rounds left in the Alps Hockey League Regular Season and so far only two teams - Regular Season champion Rittner Buam SkyAlps and second-placed EK Die Zeller Eisbären - have secured the Master Round ticket. The year 2024 kicks off on Tuesday with fifth-placed Red Bull Hockey Juniors facing the HC Meran/o Pircher, followed by seven games on Wednesday. Among others, Zell am See will face fourth-placed SIJ Acroni Jesenice. Third-placed EC Bregenzerwald can clinch a place in the Master Round with a win. The Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan and S.G. Cortina Hafro, who are tied on points in sixth and seventh place, are in a long-distance duel for the top six. All games of the 29th round are available in the livestream on valcome.tv.
Alps Hockey League | 02.01.2024
Tue, 02.01.2024, 19:15: Red Bull Hockey Juniors - HC Meran/o Pircher
Referees: KAINBERGER, OREL, Seewald J., Telesklav. | >> valcome.tv <<
The Red Bull Hockey Juniors and the HC Meran/o Pircher open the year 2024 in the Alps Hockey League. The Juniors recently suffered three defeats in a row and slipped back to fifth place in the table. With two rounds to go in the Regular Season, Salzburg is just one point ahead of seventh-placed Cortina. Cortina won the direct duel with the Italians. On the last matchday of the Regular Season, the Young Bulls will play at Fassa. The HC Meran/o Pircher surprised everyone at the end of 2023 with a 5:2 away win at second-placed Zell am See. It was one of three wins from the last five games for the South Tyroleans. Canadian Nolan Ritchie scored five points in the win against EKZ and thus took over as the AHL Topscorer. The 21-year-old has a total of 54 points, one point ahead of his teammate Calder Anderson. The Eagles are in ninth place in the table. Merano didn´t win any of their five games against the Red Bull Hockey Juniors in the AHL. The first leg was a clear 8:1 win for the Young Bulls.
Alps Hockey League | 03.01.2024
Wed, 03.01.2024, 19:00: EC-KAC Future Team - S.G. Cortina Hafro
Referees: FAJDIGA, VOICAN, Dieber, Markizeti. | >> valcome.tv <<
S.G. Cortina Hafro are currently in seventh place in the table with 50 points and therefore just outside the Master Round places. However, the Italians have the same number of points as sixth-placed Vipiteno and have also won the direct duel with the South Tyroleans. This would put Cortina ahead of the Broncos at the end of the Regular Season with the same number of points and thus in sixth place. In the 29th round, last year's finalist will face the EC-KAC Future Team. The team at the bottom of the table has shown a slight upward trend lately, with two wins from its last four games. However, Klagenfurt lost 1:3 in Val Gardena on December 30, while Cortina have won three of their last five games. In their last game in 2023, they celebrated a 3:1 home win against the Steel Wings. Cortina has prevailed against the Future Team in thirteen of 15 AHL duels. This was also the case in the first leg on December 3, which the Italians clearly won 5:1.
Wed, 03.01.2024, 19:00: HK RST Pellet Celje - EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel
Referees: MILOVANOVIC, PINIE, Brondi, Javornik. | >> valcome.tv <<
The HK RST Pellet Celje, 15th in the table, will face the EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel, eighth in the table, in Round 29. However, the visitors from Tyrol are already ten points behind sixth place and therefore have no chance of reaching the Master Round. Celje lost 0:3 in Vipiteno on Saturday and conceded their eleventh defeat from the last twelve games in the Alps Hockey League. Kitzbühel celebrated a 6:0 home win against Fassa and their first victory after two consecutive defeats. In the first ever AHL duel with Celje, Kitzbühel prevailed 6:4.
Wed, 03.01.2024, 19:15: Steel Wings LINZ AG - SHC Fassa Falcons
Referees: BROCK, SCHWEIGHOFER, Kanyo, Wendner. | >> valcome.tv <<
Both the Steel Wings LINZ AG and the SHC Fassa Falcons ended 2023 without a win. The Steel Wings were unable to win any of their last four games, while Fassa recently suffered two defeats in a row. The visitors from Italy are in thirteenth place in the table with 35 points, followed by the Upper Austrians, who have 31 points and are 14th. Fassa won the first match of the season with 5:1.
Wed, 03.01.2024, 19:30: EK Die Zeller Eisbären - SIJ Acroni Jesenice
Referees: MOSCHEN, RUETZ, De Zordo, Hesina.| >> valcome.tv <<
In the top game of the 29th round, second-placed EK Die Zeller Eisbären faces fourth-placed SIJ Acroni Jesenice. The two teams are separated by eight points. Due to the Polar Bear's 2:5 defeat against Merano on December 30, Zell am See no longer has a chance of overtaking leader Ritten, as they are already seven points behind the South Tyroleans. Although Jesenice have won their last three games, they are still only one point ahead of seventh-placed Cortina. The direct duel with the Italians ended in a draw, which means that the goal difference would be used in the event of a tie. Jesenic currently have the slightly better goal difference with +25 compared to Cortina with +22. At the end of the Regular Season, the Slovenians will face Kitzbühel away on January 5. The defending champion won the first game of the season against Zell am See 4:1. It was the fourth win in a row for Jesenice over the Polar Bears, who only need two more points to secure the second place in the table.
Wed, 03.01.2024, 19:30: EHC Lustenau - Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan
Referees: HUBER, SORAPERRA, Fecchio, Jäger. | >> valcome.tv <<
Two rounds before the end of the Regular Season, the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan are in sixth place in the table and have currently the last Master Round place, although they are currently only ahead of seventh-placed Cortina due to their better goal difference. However, they have lost the direct duel against the Italians, which means that they will end up behind Cortina in the table with the same number of points. The EHC Lustenau, in tenth place, no longer has a chance of qualifying for the Master Round. The Vorarlberg team lost 2:3 at home to Unterland on December 30, the fifth defeat in the last seven games for the EHC. The Broncos have recently celebrated two wins in a row. The Broncos won the first game of the season against Lustenau 8:2.
Wed, 03.01.2024, 20:00: Hockey Unterland Cavaliers - Rittner Buam SkyAlps
Referees: GIACOMOZZI, RICCO, Formaioni, Wiest. | >> valcome.tv <<
League leader Rittner Buam SkyAlps open the new year at eleventh-placed Hockey Unterland Cavaliers. While Unterland ended the year 2023 with a 3:2 away win in Lustenau, Ritten lost in Vorarlberg, at the EC Bregenzerwald, with 4:5/OT. Nevertheless, the Buam were able to extend their lead over their closest rival Zell am See to seven points in the table, as the Polar Bears suffered a home defeat. As a result, Ritten will finish the Regular Season in first place. For Ritten, the defeat at Bregenzerwald was just one of two defeats from the last 18 games. The Buam won with 3:2 against Unterland in the first leg, making it four wins in a row against the Cavaliers in all competitions.
Wed, 03.01.2024, 20:30: HC Gherdeina valgardena.it - EC Bregenzerwald
Referees: EGGER, PIRAS, Pace, Rivis. | >> valcome.tv <<
The EC Bregenzerwald took a big step towards the Master Round with a 5:4/OT home win against league leader Ritten on December 30. In third place in the table, the Vorarlberg team is four points ahead of seventh-placed Cortina with two rounds to go in the Regular Season. This means that the ECB can secure a top-six finish with a win at the HC Gherdeina valgardena.it. Val Gardena, on the other hand, are eleventh in the table and no longer have a chance of reaching the Master Round, even though the South Tyroleans have shown a clear upward trend in recent weeks. They have won five of their last six games, most recently with 3:1 at home against the KAC Future Team. In the first leg Val Gardena conceded a 2:3/OT defeat against Bregenzerwald.