Ranks four to eight only separated by three points

Innsbruck wins in Klagenfurt
The HC TIWAG Innsbruck celebrated a shootout victory at league leader EC-KAC. However, since their closest rival Fehérvár were not in action on Friday, the Carinthians were able to extend their lead in the table to five points. Innsbruck remain fifth and, with 68 points, is now two points ahead of seventh-placed Villach. At the EC-KAC, the Sharks were able to equalize a deficit twice in the powerplay. Matt Fraser put the KAC ahead twice. On the HCI side, Nick Albano made it 1:1 before Adam Rockwood tied the game in the 48th minute. Two Innsbruck players were successful in the shootout. No KAC player managed to get past Evan Buitenhuis. It was the second win for Innsbruck against Klagenfurt in the fourth duel of the season.

Morley scores hat-trick in important win for Pustertal
The HC Pustertal, eighth in the table, still has every chance of securing a direct playoff spot. The South Tyroleans narrowly won 5:4/SO against sixth-placed Steinbach Black Wings Linz and are now just one point behind the Black Wings in the table. In a hard-fought game, the Wolves were already 2:0 and 4:2 in the lead. David Morley scored twice in the first period before the Canadian completed his first hat-trick in a Pustertal jersey in the 25th minute. At this point, only the 33-year-old had scored for the Wolves. The Black Wings opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through Logan Roe. Jakob Mitsch was then even able to reduce the deficit to 2:3, but Rick Schofield scored in the 35th minute in the power play to make it 4:2 for Pustertal. This was the score going into the final period, in which Sean Collins first reduced the deficit to 3:4. Nico Feldner finally managed to score the equalizer in the 53rd minute. Pustertal goalkeeper Jacob Smith was hit on the head, the 28-year-old was unable to continue and was replaced by Andreas Bernard. Nevertheless, the Wolves got the important extra point. Alex Petan converted the decisive penalty in the shootout.



Villach catches up with the Black Wings
Thanks to a furious first period, the EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV won clearly with 7:2 against the Moser Medical Graz99ers. It was the Eagles first win after two consecutive defeats and a very important success in the battle for the top six. The VSV is currently seventh, just outside the top six, but the win allowed them to close the gap on sixth-placed Linz. Both teams have 66 points. Elias Wallenta put the home side ahead after just 35 seconds against Graz. The VSV added four more goals in the first period. Among others, Kevin Hancock scored twice. Villach then shifted down a gear and Graz reduced the deficit to 1:5 through Michael Schiechl in the 28th minute, before Robert Sabolic increased the lead to 6:1 with his second goal of the evening in the 35th minute. Both teams scored once more in the final period. It was the fourth defeat in a row for the bottom of the table from Graz.

Pioneers pick up important points in the battle for the Pre-Playoffs
The tenth-placed BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg were able to end HK SZ Olimpija's four-game winning streak and thus pick up hugely important points in the battle for the Pre-Playoffs. For the Pioneers, on the other hand, the 4:1 victory was just one of two wins from their last six games. The Vorarlberg team is now six points ahead of the spusu Vienna Capitals in the table, who won 2:1 after overtime at Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey. Giordano Finoro put the home side from Italy ahead. Zane Franklin equalized in the 29th minute and it was Seasmus Donohue who secured Vienna's extra point in overtime. It was the fourth defeat in a row for Asiago, who only lost 0:12 in Klagenfurt on Tuesday, while the Capitals picked up their second win in a row.

In Ljubljana, the visitors from Vorarlberg were 0:1 down after just five minutes. HKO top scorer Trevor Gooch scored and recorded his 50th point of the season. It remained 1:0 for Olimpija until the 26th minute, before Guus van Nes equalized. Just a few minutes later, the Pioneers were able to turn the game around completely with the very first goal in the ICE from Luca Erne, who also celebrated his 20th birthday on Friday. In the final period the Pioneers scored two more goals. It was PIV's fourth win with at least a three-goal difference in their fourth duel of the season.

WIN2DAY ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE
EC-KAC – HC TIWAG INNSBRUCK 2:3/SO (1:0, 1:1, 0:1)
REFEREES: KAINBERGER, OFNER, MANTOVANI, PUFF | SPECTATORS: 4.286
Goals KAC: 1:0 Fraser M. (9.), 2:1 Fraser M. (35./PP1)
Goals HCI: 1:1 Albano N. (27./PP1), 2:2 Rockwood A. (48./PP1), 2:3/SO Roy K. (65./PS)

EC IDM WÄRMEPUMPEN VSV – MOSER MEDICAL GRAZ99ERS 7:2 (5:0, 1:1, 1:1)
REFEREES: HUBER, M. NIKOLIC, BÄRNTHALER, BEDYNEK | SPECTATORS: 2.920
Goals VSV: 1:0 Wallenta E. (1.), 2:0 Hancock K. (11.), 3:0 Hancock K. (14.), 4:0 Hughes J. (15.), 5:0 Sabolic R. (18./PP1), 6:1 Sabolic R. (35.), 7:2 Richter M. (57.)
Goals G99: 5:1 Schiechl M. (28.), 6:2 Krastenbergs R. (51.)

HK SZ OLIMPIJA – BEMER PIONEERS VORARLBERG 1:4 (1:0, 0:2, 0:2)
REFEREES: E. SEEWALD, ZRNIC, J. SEEWALD, WIMMLER | SPECTATORS: 1.659
Goal HKO: 1:0 Gooch T. (6.)
Goals PIV: 1:1 van nes G. (26.), 1:2 Erne L. (31.), 1:3 Maver L. (56.), 1:4 Bull C. (60./EN)

MIGROSS SUPERMERCATI ASIAGO HOCKEY – SPUSU VIENNA CAPITALS 1:2/OT (1:0, 0:1, 0:0)
REFEREES: GROZNIK, K. NIKOLIC, PARDATSCHER, SPARER | SPECTATORS: 1.219
Goal ASH: 1:0 Finoro G. (13.)
Goals VIC: 1:1 Franklin Z. (29.), 1:2/OT Donohue S. (64.)

HC PUSTERTAL – STEINBACH BLACK WINGS LINZ 5:4/SO (2:0, 2:2, 0:2)
REFEREES: PIRAGIC, SCHAUER, FLEISCHMANN, ZGONC | SPECTATORS: 2.269
Goals PUS: 1:0 Morley D. (2.), 0:2 Morley D. (13./PP1), 3:1 Morley D. (25.), 4:2 Schofield R. (35./PP1), 5:4/SO Petan A. (65./PS)
Goals BWL: 2:1 Roe L. (23.), 3:2 Mitsch J. (30.), 4:3 Collins S. (45.), 4:4 Feldner N. (53.)