Paul Stapelfeldt on the verge of his fifth consecutive league title: “We have incredible team chemistry”

After sweeping both the quarterfinals and semifinals, Graz also leads the best-of-seven final series against Pustertal 3–0. Following two 5–1 wins, they added a 5–2 home victory on Sunday. “The games have been much closer than the results suggest. A 3–0 lead is obviously clear, but given how the games have gone, we know we’ll have to give it everything again on Wednesday to succeed in Pustertal,” says Stapelfeldt, describing the 99ers’ recipe for success: “We have a certain calmness within the team. In moments when things aren’t going our way and the opponent has chances to swing the momentum, we stay composed, stick to our game, and get through those difficult phases. One of our strengths is knowing exactly when we simply need to defend: clear the puck, change lines, and let the next line take over. I think that’s a key factor in our current success.”

Wieser a reliable backbone
Goaltender Maxime Lagacé led the Styrians to first place in the regular season with strong performances and was also a steady presence in the early playoff games. In Game 3 of the semifinals against Hydro Fehérvár AV19, however, the Canadian was injured and replaced by Nicolas Wieser. The 28-year-old showed no nerves and has delivered flawless performances so far, conceding only five goals and leading the playoff stats with a save percentage above 96%. “When you find out that your number-one goalie, who’s been outstanding all season, is out, it’s obviously a bit of a shock at first. But we know we have a very strong number two in Nicolas and we have complete confidence in him. In the last few games, he’s shown that he can maintain this high level, delivering outstanding performances and making these clear wins possible. There’s no doubt within the team—for us, it’s not a ‘backup goalie’ in net,” Stapelfeldt explains, as he himself stands on the brink of history.



Stapelfeldt chasing league record
After winning four titles with EC Red Bull Salzburg, the defenseman moved to Graz last summer and is now just one win away from another championship. The 27-year-old could become the first player since the league was newly-founded to lift the Karl Nedwed Trophy for the fifth consecutive time. “Success is never something you take for granted, because I know how much work goes into it and how much work our team has put in to be where we are now. Success is always something special, and it’s great to be going from win to win with this group right now. We have incredible team chemistry—it’s genuinely fun to come here every day,” he says, explaining the reasons behind their run. Still undefeated in the playoffs, Graz could become only the third team after Vienna (2017) and Salzburg (2022, with Stapelfeldt) to achieve a perfect postseason. The defenseman notes clear parallels to the Red Bulls team from four years ago: “That feeling that our team is so compact this year, so confident that hardly anything can go wrong—that’s one of the big similarities. Just like back then, we’re leaving everything on the ice, giving 110 percent—otherwise a run like this wouldn’t be possible.”

Game 4 on Wednesday in Bruneck
However, the Styrians have not reached their goal yet. They still need one more win to claim the first championship in the club’s history—and that could come as early as Wednesday in Bruneck. “Being down 0–3 in the series means Pustertal has nothing left to lose. We’re expecting an extremely tough game. Backed by their home fans, they’ll come out of the locker room with a lot of energy. We know what to expect, we’re well prepared, we want to match that intensity—and of course, the big goal is to secure that decisive fourth win on Wednesday,” Stapelfeldt concludes.