Quarterfinal series open Wednesday night

win2day ICE Hockey League | 09.03.2022 | quarterfinals game one:
Wed, 9.3.2022, 7.15 pm: EC Red Bull Salzburg – HC TESLA Orli Znojmo
Referees: BERNEKER, NIKOLIC K., Martin, Sparer. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
The superior regular season winner EC Red Bull Salzburg has chosen HC TESLA Orli Znojmo in the quarterfinals, after the Czechs qualified for the quarterfinals with two overtime wins in the "best-of-3" pre-playoff series against the Moser Medical Graz99ers. This is the second time the two teams will meet in the postseason, as in 2016, they contested the final series, with Salzburg winning 4:2 – and at the time claimed its last championship to date. The "Red Bulls” are also the team in the quarterfinals that has played the most games in the postseason since the league was founded with 206, 130 of which were won. Salzburg have reached playoffs for the 21st time, only in 2012 they failed in the quarterfinals (2:4 vs. KAC). Znojmo has clinched postseason seven times, only in 2016 they survived the quarterfinals. Salzburg won three games against Znojmo in regular season, the first season duel still went to the Czechs. And they have picked up speed again with their top scorers Radek Prokes (27G|29A) and Anthony Luciani (17G|36A) always scoring in the last seven games.

Wed, 9.3.2022, 7.15 pm: EC GRAND Immo VSV – HK SZ Olimpija
Referees: STERNAT, TRILAR, Hribar, Zgonc. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
Regular season runner-up EC GRAND Immo VSV picked HK SZ Olimpija, with the two meeting for the first time in the playoffs, due to the premiere season of the Slovenians. In the encounters of the regular season each team won twice, Villach won the last two confrontations. For the "Adler", which played their best regular season since 06/07, it is the 18th participation in the postseason. They played 141 playoff games, winning 71 of them. Villach showed especially in this year big: Since the turn of the year, the team of Rob Daum, who will have the entire squad available, won 14 of 17 games. Especially offensively, the team led by top scorer Scott Kosmachuk (26G|24A) excelled, averaging 3.83 goals per game. In the last six seasons, the most offensively potent team of the regular season has won the title only once (RBS | 2016 | 3.85 Gpg), but except for Hydro Fehérvár AV19 (2021 | 0:4 vs. VIC) always reached at least the semifinals. The opponent from Slovenia showed some weaknesses after a good start in the regular season, but showed itself in good shape in the finish and also has the initially outstanding goalie Zan Us back in the line-up. With Sebastien Piche, one of six legionnaires, the "Dragons" also have a former player of VSV coach Daum at the start, who should take away possible nervousness with his routine. Alexander Rauchenwald will play his 100th playoff game on Wednesday. The Villach native has won the title twice, both times with Salzburg.

Wed, 9.3.2022, 7.15 pm: Hydro Fehérvár AV19 – HC Pustertal Wölfe
Referees: PIRAGIC, ZRNIC, Durmis, Konc. | >> PPV-Livestream <<
Hydro Fehérvár AV19 took HC Pustertal Wölfe, meaning the second newcomer could also reach the postseason. For the Hungarians it is the seventh appearance in the ICE playoffs, they never reached the semifinals. Last year, they were defeated 4-0 by the spusu Vienna Capitals, and they have won only seven of their 31 playoff games so far. This year's comparisons of these two teams, brought two home wins each. With the South Tyroleans, which especially after the takeover by Raimo Helminen went through a great performance improvement, Mike Caruso meets his former club, as the defender spent the last three seasons in Székesfehérvár, played ten postseason games with the Hungarians. Fehervar is the team with the highest scoring efficiency (12%), while the "Wolves" are the most disciplined (7 PIM per game) – both virtues needed for successful playoffs. The distance between Székesfehérvár and Bruneck is around 640 kilometers, which means that the regeneration factor also plays a major role in this series, which is played mostly in a two-day rhythm.

Wed, 9.3.2022, 7.45 pm: spusu Vienna Capitals – EC-KAC
Referees: HRONSKY, SMETANA, Bärnthaler, Riecken. | >> LIVE AUF PULS24 <<
The fourth quarterfinal series will be contested by the spusu Vienna Capitals and the EC-KAC. Never before have these two teams faced each other in the first phase of the playoffs. All four postseason series between Vienna and Klagenfurt have been finals series, with each team winning two of them. For the Caps, this is their 20th playoff appearance in their 21st year of existence, and since the 2007-08 season, the Viennese have failed to reach the quarterfinals only three times. The KAC failed four times in the first playoff stage in the same period, missing the postseason in 2014. The "Caps" proved to be extremely strong on home ice: 19 of 25 games at the Steffl Arena were won, only Fehérvár AV19 (2.13) had a higher point average on home ice than Vienna (2.08). This record would look even better without the games against the "Rotjacken": Each of the most recent five appearances there ended in an road win for Klagenfurt, and the “Rotjacken” picked up at least onepoint in each of the last nine appearances. For the KAC, Jakob Holzer and Johannes Bischofberger are not available for the quarterfinals, and Niklas Würschl is also not yet fit for action. Stefan Geier, on the other hand, returns to the lineup. The reigning champions have won three of their four regular-season games.