Release from 19.03.2026

Olimpija Ljubljana advance to the semifinals | Petersen puts on a show as KAC take series lead

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Olimpija Ljubljana have advanced to the semifinals of the win2day ICE Hockey League. The Dragons battled their way to another narrow win over HCB Südtirol Alperia in Game 5 of the quarterfinals, clinched the best-of-seven series 4-1 and ended the Foxes’ season. Meanwhile, EC-KAC erupted offensively in their third quarterfinal game, defeating Hydro Fehérvár AV19 8-3 – led by Nick Petersen, who set a new playoff record with six (!) points – and moved ahead 2-1 in the series.

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Olimpija Ljubljana have reached the semifinals of the win2day ICE Hockey League for the first time in club history. The Slovenians won a hard-fought game 4-1 on Thursday, sealing the first quarterfinal exit for the South Tyroleans since 2022. Olimpija also became only the second club from Ljubljana to reach this stage in the multinational league. Back in 2008, HDD Olimpija Ljubljana even advanced to the Final.

The Slovenians came out hungrier and were the better side early on. In the 13th minute, the Dragons were rewarded with the opening goal: following strong forechecking by Robert Sabolic, Alex Petan fed Marcel Mahkovec, who fired home clinically for 1-0. The South Tyroleans thought they had equalized shortly after, but after a video review the referees upheld the no-goal call due to goaltender interference.

Bozen came out much stronger in the second period and controlled the game for long stretches. Ljubljana netminder Dustin Tokarski, however, showed off his quick reactions and kept his crease clean through the middle frame. In the third period, the South Tyroleans pushed hard for the equalizer and were eventually rewarded when Cristiano Digiacinto found the back of the net. Ljubljana remained dangerous, though, stayed patient and regained the lead on a breakaway finished by Zach Boychuk. Bozen threw everything forward in the closing minutes, but conceded two empty-net goals. Both Mahkovec and Boychuk scored twice. The Slovenian side ultimately came away with a 4-1 win and brought the Foxes’ season to an early end. Their semifinal opponent will depend on the outcome of the series between KAC and Fehérvár.

Petersen stars as KAC reclaim series lead
After Fehérvár had tied the series on Tuesday, EC-KAC responded with an emphatic 8-3 victory and a spectacular performance from Nick Petersen to regain the lead in the quarterfinals.

Hydro Fehérvár AV19 were only able to match KAC in the opening period. Thursday night’s game had barely begun when Jan Mursak, assisted by Nick Petersen, put the hosts ahead 1-0. The Hungarian response came immediately, however: after a turnover in the Red Jackets’ buildup, Darren Archibald set up Trevor Cheek, who made it 1-1 in the third minute. The opening period remained wide open. After a dazzling move by Nick Petersen, Simeon Schwinger restored the lead at 2-1 in the sixth minute, before Fehérvár answered again five minutes later through Darren Archibald. But there was still more to come in a spectacular first period: KAC made it 3-2 after strong forechecking by Schwinger, with Jesper Jensen Aabo finishing the play – and once again, Petersen collected the primary assist. The Red Devils from Székesfehérvár, however, had the right answer yet again and tied the game before the break through Janos Hari.

The second period continued in the same high-scoring fashion. Almost fittingly, Thimo Nickl opened the frame by making it 4-3 – with Petersen recording his fourth primary assist of the night. This time, however, the visitors had no response, and KAC extended their lead to two goals thanks to Mathias From. The KAC kept pouring it on, and in the 30th minute Nick Petersen got on the scoresheet himself. Still in the middle frame, Daniel Obersteiner increased the lead to 7-3 for KAC.

The game became even more heated in the final period, but KAC stayed composed. To cap off his outstanding night, Petersen scored his second goal – and sixth point of the game – on a two-man advantage, setting a new playoff record in the process.

EC-KAC will now travel to Székesfehérvár for Game 4 on Saturday with a 2-1 series lead.

win2day ICE Hockey League, Quarterfinals, 19.03.2026:
HCB Südtirol Alperia – Olimpija Ljubljana 1:4 (0:1, 0:0, 1:3)
Referees: SMETANA, STERNAT, Fleischmann, Puff
Goals HCB: DiGiacinto (45.)
Goals OLL: Mahkovec (13., 59.), Boychuk (52., 60.)
Final result of the best-of-seven series: 1:4

EC-KAC – Hydro Fehérvár AV19 8:3 (3:3, 4:0, 1:0)
Referees: PIRAGIC, SCHAUER, Nothegger, Zgonc
Goals KAC: Mursak (1.), Schwinger (6.), Bischofberger (16.), Nickl (21.), From (23.), Petersen (30., 55./PP), Obersteiner (36.)
Goals AVS: Cheek (3.), Archibald (11.), Hari (19.)
KAC lead the best-of-seven series 2:1