Release from 03.03.2026
The opening night of the Alps Hockey League Pre-Playoffs produced two home wins and one away victory. HC Meran/o Pircher defeated EC Bregenzerwald 4–2, while HC Gherdeina valgardena.it celebrated a convincing 7–2 home win over the Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel. In addition, S.G. Cortina Hafro secured a 3–2 road victory against the two-time champions Rittner Buam SkyAlps. Game two of the best-of-three series will be played on Thursday. In the Master Round, EK Die Zeller Eisbären won the derby against the Red Bull Hockey Juniors 3–1, clinching the Master Round title and securing the No. 1 seed for the upcoming playoffs. Meanwhile, HC Migross Asiago celebrated an important 7–4 away win at KHL Sisak.
HC Meran/o Pircher took a 1–0 lead in the best-of-three Pre-Playoff series with their 4–2 home victory over EC Bregenzerwald and now have the chance to clinch a quarterfinal berth on Thursday. The South Tyroleans were still trailing 1–2 until the 50th minute, but Rasmus Nousiainen turned the game around, scoring both the equalizer for 1–1 and the game-winning goal for 3–2.
Gherdeina with a clear home win over Kitzbühel
HC Gherdeina valgardena.it also opened the Pre-Playoffs with a home win, one that was rarely in danger against Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel. Although the visitors took the lead in the 14th minute, Gherdeina responded quickly with two goals in the 15th and 16th minutes to turn the game around. By the 27th minute, the hosts had extended their advantage to 4–1. Kitzbühel managed to reduce the deficit in the 31st minute, but in front of more than 1,100 fans, Gherdeina remained unfazed and restored a three-goal cushion just two minutes later. When Luke Moncada made it 6–2 shorthanded in the 43rd minute, the arena erupted and the game was effectively decided. It was Moncada’s third goal of the night. Luca Biondi sealed the final score with two minutes remaining, completing a brace. For Gherdeina, it was their first win over Kitzbühel since December 9, 2023, after suffering six straight defeats.
Cortina steal home-ice advantage from Ritten
The Rittner Buam SkyAlps were the only team to lose at home. The two-time champions were narrowly beaten 3–2 by the two-time finalists S.G. Cortina Hafro. With eight minutes remaining, Oskari Kalajanniska scored the decisive goal for Cortina, just four minutes after Tobias Graf had tied the game for Ritten. Cortina had already taken the lead twice at 1–0 and 2–1. This time, Ritten had no answer to the third deficit, meaning Cortina can clinch a quarterfinal in front of the home fans on Thursday.
Zell am See win the Master Round
In the Master Round derby, EK Die Zeller Eisbären defeated the Red Bull Hockey Juniors 3–1 in front of 2,300 fans, securing the Master Round title and first place for the upcoming playoffs. It was Zell am See’s seventh win in seven Master Round games, while the Juniors suffered their third loss in six matches. With 13 points, Salzburg remain in second place but now hold only a one-point lead over third-placed Asiago. After a scoreless first period, Tim Coffman put Zell am See ahead just 32 seconds into the second period. Kilian Rappold made it 2–0 in the 30th minute. Six minutes before the end, Maxim Eliseev pulled one back on the power play, but just two and a half minutes later Coffman struck again—this time with the man advantage—to seal the 3–1 final score.
Asiago take a big step toward a Top-3 finish
In the second Master Round game, HC Migross Asiago defeated KHL Sisak 7–4 on the road. With two games remaining, the Italians now hold a six-point advantage over the Croatians in third place and trail the second-placed Juniors by just one point. In a high-scoring contest, the teams were tied 3–3 after just 13 minutes. Defensive play then tightened up until Asiago took a 4–3 lead in double power-play in the 33rd minute. Less than five minutes later, they even made it 5–3 while shorthanded. The Italians sealed the win in the final period. Nick Porco was the only Asiago player to score twice, while Ryan Valentini recorded a four-point night with one goal and three assists.
Alps Hockey League:
Tue, 03.03.2026:
Master Round:
EK Die Zeller Eisbären – Red Bull Hockey Juniors 3:1 (0:0, 2:0, 1:1)
Referees: OREL, UNTERWEGER, Wendner, Wucherer
Goals EKZ: 1:0 Coffman T. (21.), 2:0 Rappold K. (30.), 3:1 Coffman T. (57./PP1)
Goal RBJ: 2:1 Eliseev M. (55./PP1)
KHL Sisak – HC Migross Asiago 4:7 (3:3, 0:2, 1:2)
Referees: BERGANT, METZINGER, Markizeti, Miklic
Goals SIS: 1:2 Idzan V. (10.), 2:3 Dobric P. (13./PP1), 3:3 Larionovs D. (14.), 4:6 Larionovs D. (52.)
Goals HCA: 0:1 Porco N. (8./PP1), 0:2 Rigoni F. (8.), 1:3 Gios G. (11.), 3:4 Chiodo L. (33./PP2), 3:5 Valentini R. (37./SH1), 3:6 Calisti R. (48.), 4:7 Porco N. (60./EN)
Pre-Playoffs:
HC Meran/o Pircher – EC Bregenzerwald 4:2 (0:0, 1:1, 3:1)
Referees: BULOVEC, SNOJ, Fleischmann, Ilmer
Goals HCM: 1:1 Nousiainen R. (34.), 2:2 Rein N. (50./PP1), 3:2 Nousiainen R. (53.), 4:2 Gellon D. (59./PP1)
Goals ECB: 0:1 Rantanen J. (21.), 1:2 Tschofen M. (44.)
Rittner Buam SkyAlps – S.G. Cortina Hafro 2:3 (0:1, 1:1, 1:1)
Referees: LAZZERI, RIVIS, Cristeli, Grisenti
Goals RIT: 1:1 Kostner S. (27.), 2:2 Graf T. (49./PP1)
Goals SGC: 0:1 Barnabo L. (11.), 1:2 Pietroniro M. (30.), 2:3 Kalajanniska O. (53.)
HC Gherdeina valgardena.it – Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel 7:2 (2:1, 3:1, 2:0)
Referees: HOLZER, STEFENELLI, Cusin, Rinker
Goals GHE: 1:1 Moncada L. (15.), 2:1 Moncada L. (16.), 3:1 Biondi L. (24.), 4:1 Moroder S. (27.), 5:2 Esposito N. (33.), 6:2 Moncada L. (44./SH1), 7:2 Biondi L. (59.)
Goals KEC: 0:1 Waschnig L. (14.), 4:2 Pfeffer J. (31./PP1)
Copyright: BK Photo