Race for the top 6 still exciting

Only two days after the defeat in Bolzano, things went much better for HC TIWAG Innsbruck at the second South Tyrolean club in Bruneck and the league leader returned to the winning track with a 5:3 away victory. League top scorer Brady Shaw put the visitors in front with the only goal in the opening period - in the fourth duel of the season with Pustertal it was the first goal for the 30-year-old forward. In front of more than 3,000 fans, the Sharks finally set the course for victory in the middle period. Daniel Leavens, Lukas Bär and Adam Helewka made it a clear 0:4. After 50 minutes Leavens celebrated his second goal of the game. After that, the home side came up and even scored three goals. But the comeback came too late, Innsbruck won for the third time in a row against the Wolves and extended their lead in the standings again.



The first chaser HCB Südtirol Alperia missed the seventh win in a row, the team from Bolzano was defeated by Hydro Fehervar AV19 with 2:3. Already in the sixth minute the home side took the lead through ex-HCB player Alex Petan, Anze Kuralt made it 2:0 before the break. The South Tyroleans managed to equalize in the middle period (Felicetti, McClure), but in the end Fehervar had the longer breath and won the match through a goal by Terbocs.

Home wins for Salzburg and Villach
EC Red Bull Salzburg won the home match against Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey with 2:1 and celebrated the sixth victory in a row. The spectators in the Salzburg Eisarena saw mostly superior Red Bulls, who could have scored much more often. After goals from Mario Huber and Nicolai Meyer, the visitors came close in the final period and made it exciting once again. In the end, however, the Red Bulls, with Ty Loney making his comeback, deservedly won 2:1 and remain unbeaten in the new year.

Villach returned to the winning track against decimated Pioneers. Although the shot statistics in the first period with 13:4 clearly spoke for the home side, only Dominik Grafenthin managed a goal. The Blue and Whites extended their lead in the middle period with a power play goal by John Hughes. Hughes was the match-winner in the 50th minute with his second PP goal. Although VSV goalie JP Lamoureux was denied a shutout due to a late Birnstill goal, the Carinthians prevailed clearly 5:1. They thus ended their three-game losing streak and returned to fourth place.

Graz brings Linz to its knees
In the PULS 24 live match, Graz was rewarded for a spirited opening phase against Linz with a Zusevics goal. The visitors managed to equalize before the first period break, and in the middle period they even turned the game in their favor, at least for a while. The 99ers' answer followed promptly, after a spectacular middle period with a total of five goals the home side was 4:3 ahead. In the 52nd minute Andrew Yogan scored on power play to make the final score 5:3. This gave the Graz team some breathing room in the race for the pre-playoffs.



Capitals win at Tivoli
The spusu Vienna Capitals celebrated their fourth win out of the last five games at Ljubljana and shortened the gap to the top-6. Max Zimmer put the guests already in the lead in the third minute, a strong middle period then provided the preliminary decision. Matt Bradley scored only nine seconds after the restart, a wonderful Brunner solo made it 0:3. In addition, Gregoire scored on power play, Olimpija only had the consolation goal through Simsic.

win2day ICE Hockey League | 08.01.2023:
HC Pustertal – HC TIWAG Innsbruck 3:5 (0:1, 0:3, 3:1)
Referees: BERNEKER, NIKOLIC K., Martin, Pardatscher.
Goals Pustertal: Deluca (55.), Archambault (55.), Willcox (57.)
Goals Innsbruck: Shaw (8.), Leavens (25., 51.), Bär (30.), Helekwa (40.)

Moser Medical Graz99ers – Steinbach Black Wings Linz 5:3 (1:1, 3:2, 1:0)
Referees: HUBER, PIRAGIC, Sparer, Zgonc.
Goals Graz: Zusevics (9.), Woger (33.), Ograjensek (34.), Bouramman (39.), Yogan (52./PP)
Goals Linz: Haga (18./PP), Knott (26.), Gaffal (37./PP),

EC Red Bull Salzburg – Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey 2:1 (1:0, 1:0, 0:1)
Referees: OFNER, SMETANA, Riecken, Seewald E.
Goals Salzburg: M. Huber (8.), Meyer (31.)
Goal Asiago: Finoro (50.)

EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV – BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg 5:1 (1:0, 1:0, 3:1)
Referees: TRILAR, ZRNIC, Hribar, Mantovani.
Goals Villach: Grafenthin (13.), Hughes (30./PP, 50./PP), Mattinen (54.), Rebernig (60.)
Goal Pioneers: Birnstill (58.)

Hydro Fehérvár AV19 – HCB Südtirol Alperia 3:2 (2:0, 0:2, 1:0)
Referees: REZEK, SIEGEL, Kis-Kiraly, Muzsik.
Goals Fehervar: Petan (6.), Kuralt (20./PP), Terbocs (51.)
Goals Bolzano: Felicetti (28.), McClure (33.)

HK SZ Olimpija – spusu Vienna Capitals 1:4 (0:1, 0:3, 1:0)
Referees: FICHTNER, GROZNIK, Bärnthaler, Gatol-Schafranek.
Goal Ljubljana: Simsic (45.)
Goals Vienna: Zimmer (3.), Bradley (21.), Brunner (34.), Gregoire (37./PP)