Release from 19.03.2021
The Regular Season of the Alps Hockey League is finished. Already on Saturday the Pre-Playoffs will start. In the mode "best-of-3" the further playoff participants will be determined in four duels. The matches, which can all be followed via livestream, are as follows: S.G. Cortina Hafro vs. EC Bregenzerwald, Red Bull Hockey Juniors vs. Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan, VEU Feldkirch vs. HC Gherdeina valgardena.it and Rittner Buam vs. EHC Lustenau. A possible deciding game in the Pre-Playoffs would take place on Thursday, March 25th. After that, the Playoffs will already start on Saturday, March 27th. The quarterfinals, semifinals and the final will be played in a "best-of-5" mode. The champion of the season 2020/21 will at the latest be decided on Wednesday, April 28th.
Sat, 20.03.2021, 19:15: Red Bull Hockey Juniors - Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan
Referees: DURCHNER, HLAVATY, Puff, Schweighofer. I >> FREE-LIVESTREAM <<
The Pre-Playoffs start with the duel of the Red Bull Hockey Juniors against the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan. The Young Bulls finished the Regular Season on the sixth place and are the favourites against the eleventh-placed Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan at least on paper the paper. Practically, it looks quite different due to the current form. The Broncos have won four of their last five games. Among others, they celebrated a 1:0 home win against second-place HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice at the end of the Regular Season on Thursday. Salzburg won on Thursday as well, beating third in the table, HC Pustertal Wölfe, with 4:2. For RBJ, however, it was the first win after five defeats in a row. At home, Salzburg has lost the last four games. In the direct comparison, Sterzing was clearly the better team this season. They have won three of four duels. Overall, the South Tyroleans lead in the H2H with 10:4.
Sat, 20.03.2021, 19:30: VEU Feldkich - HC Gherdeina valgardena.it
Referees: HUBER, SCHAUER, Martin, Rinker. I >> PPV-LIVESTREAM <<
The VEU Feldkirch secured the home right in the pre-playoffs with a 7:2 home win in the last game of the Regular Season against the Rittner Buam. Their opponents HC Gherdeina valgardena.it had five points less on their account and finished tenth in the table. For Feldkirch it was already the third win in a row. Val Gardena has a losing streak of two games. Before that, however, they kept the upper hand in seven games in a row. In the direct comparison, it is one to one this season. Both times, the home team clearly prevailed. A superior 11:4 home victory of the VEU was followed by a no less clear 5:0 victory of GHE. For Gherdeina, there are two "players to watch" in particular. Brad McGowan is second in the scoring charts with 68 points (25G/43A). Matt Wilkins follows right behind with 67 points (20G/47A). The top scorer of the Vorarlberg team is Dylan Stanley with 56 points (14G/42A).
Sat, 20.03.2021, 20:00: S.G. Cortina Hafro - EC Bregenzerwald
Referees: GIACOMOZZI, LAZZERI, Carrito, Mantovani. I >> PPV-LIVESTREAM <<
S.G. Cortina Hafro finished the Regular Season in fifth place, becoming the first team to miss the direct Playoff qualification. Opponent EC Bregenzerwald, in turn, just qualified for the Pre-Playoffs as the twelfth-placed team. Cortina is the clear favorite in the duel, not only because of the standings, but also because of the direct comparison. The Italians were victorious in both season meetings (4:3 & 4:2). Overall, SGC leads in the H2H with 9:3. The current form also clearly speaks for Cortina. Nine wins from the last ten games speak for themselves. They also won nine of the last ten games at home. Bregenzerwald celebrated a 6:3 home win against the HC Gherdeina valgardena.it at the end of the Regular Season, but in total the ECB lost seven of the last ten games. Away they could win only one of the last ten games. The second match in the "best-of-3" series will already take place on Monday, March 22nd in Dornbirn due to scheduling reasons and not on the following Tuesday like the remaining three duels.
Sat, 20.03.2021, 20:00: Rittner Buam - EHC Lustenau
Referees: LEGA, VIRTA, Cristeli, De Zordo. I >> PPV-LIVESTREAM <<
The fourth and last game of the first Pre-playoff matchday will be played by the Rittner Buam and the EHC Lustenau. Here it comes to the duel of two neighbors in the standings. While the "Buam" finished the Regular Season in eighth place, the EHC followed directly behind in ninth place. Both teams scored 49 points. The South Tyroleans are only ahead of Lustenau because they won the direct comparison. Because in both season duels Ritten kept the upper hand (3:2 OT & 8:5). Overall, the H2H is even more clearer. Of the twelve AHL duels so far, Ritten has won eleven. On Thursday, Lustenau surprisingly ended a four-game losing streak at fourth-placed Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey. However, since at the same time the VEU Feldkirch also won with 7:2 against their current opponents Ritten, the EHC lost the home right. For Ritten it was the first defeat after previously three wins in a row.
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