Release from 26.02.2024

Pustertal and Pioneers with first match puck for quarterfinals

Short text 657 CharactersPlain text

HC Pustertal and BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg both started their pre-playoff encounters with victories and could now seal their place in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. While the Vorarlbergers could reach this milestone in their young club history in the West derby in front of their home crowd, the South Tyroleans will get their first chance when they visit HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana. If both encounters are decided on Tuesday and all eight quarter-final participants are thus determined, the quarter-final pick will take place immediately after the game between BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg and HC TIWAG Innsbruck LIVE on PULS 24 and the JOYN streaming platform.

Press release 3112 CharactersPlain text

win2day ICE Hockey League | Pre-Playoff | Game 2 | 27.02.2024 | Schedule:

Tue, 27.02.2024, 19:15: HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana - HC Pustertal
Referees: PIRAGIC, ZRNIC, Hribar, Zgonc | https://live.ice.hockey

HC Pustertal confidently defended its home advantage in the first pre-playoff game against HK SZ Olimpija and won 3:0. The South Tyroleans now have the first match puck for a place in the quarter-finals when they visit Ljubljana. However, it will be anything but easy to exploit this away from home against the Dragons. The Wolves didn't win a single game in Ljubljana this season. The last success in Slovenia was almost 1.5 years ago: On October 23, 2022, the team from Bruneck celebrated a 7:0 thumping victory. However, this was followed by three defeats in a row as guests of the Dragons. Daniel Catenacci - who scored a brace - and goalkeeper Jacob Smith were particularly impressive in the first game of the pre-playoffs. Smith promptly posted a shutout in his first postseason game in the win2day ICE Hockey League, his second of the season. Ljubljana went without a goal for the first time since December 22, 2023 - probably at the worst possible time. The Slovenians were still one of the strongest attacking teams in the regular season, averaging over three goals per game. However, things are not going well for the Slovenians away from home at the moment: They have not recorded an away win for over a month. To avoid a premature end to the season and stay in the race for the quarter-finals, they now need a home win against the Dragons to force a showdown in Bruneck.

Tue, 27.02.2024, 19:30: HC TIWAG Innsbruck - BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg
Referees: NIKOLIC M., SMETANA, Nothegger, Riecken | >> PULS 24 <<

The BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg celebrated a more than successful postseason debut on Sunday. The Pioneers produced an offensive spectacle with six goals against their former nemesis - before their last win in the regular season, the tream from Vorarlberg had lost all seven duels against HC TIWAG Innsbruck over the past two seasons. The "newest" team in the win2day ICE Hockey League thus earned the chance to make the first quarter-final appearance in the club's history in front of a home crowd on Tuesday. However, Innsbruck have already proven their comeback qualities several times this season and are by no means to be written off in this pre-playoff series. Above all, the Sharks' defense will not be as vulnerable again. Innsbruck only conceded more than five goals in one game during the Regular Season: on December 16 in Asiago. In order to prevent another goal spectacle on Tuesday, they will have to get a grip on Steven Owre in particular, who was voted the most valuable player of the 2023/24 season by specialist journalists. Owre will be honored as part of the second pre-playoff game on Tuesday in Feldkirch. The encounter - and also the quarter-final pick, should both series be completed - will be shown LIVE on PULS 24 and the JOYN streaming platform on Tuesday.

©Foppa Iwan - HC Pustertal