Release from 14.04.2022

Review of the 2021/22 season

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On Monday, the win2day ICE Hockey League season 2021/22 came to an end with the seventh championship title in the club history of the EC Red Bull Salzburg. A look back at a challenging season.

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The EC Red Bull Salzburg took the lead in the standings from the HK SŽ Olimpija with a win in Bolzano on December 12th, 2021. The Salzburg team did not relinquish their top spot until the end of the Regular Season and were also the best team in the playoffs. The Red Bulls stormed to the seventh title win in the club's history without a defeat - for the second time after the spusu Vienna Capitals (2017) a team thus managed the Perfect Postseason. The championship celebration on Thursday in the Eisarena Salzburg will now mark the end of the 2021/22 season.

For the first time with 14 teams, the season opened on Friday, September 17th. In addition to returnee HC Tesla Orli Znojmo, newcomers HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana and the HC Pustertal Wölfe also made their league debuts.

League in deep mourning
On October 30th, Boris Sádecký collapsed during a league game without any external impact. A few days later, the ICE family received with great dismay the tragic news of Sádecký's passing, as well as Bratislava Capitals manager Dušan Pašek. This sent the entire ICE Hockey League into bewilderment and deep mourning. Within the league family, emotional farewells were said in all arenas in the following rounds. In memory of Dušan and Boris all players wore the Bratislava Capitals logo and the number 10 on their helmets until the end of the season.
The iClinic Bratislava Capitals withdrew from the 2021/22 season after the tragic events. The withdrawal was noted with understanding, but great regret.

Changeover to points system
After the withdrawal of the iClinic Bratislava Capitals, the scoring of the Regular Season was changed to the point average system, which has proven itself in the DEL, among others. Thus, on the one hand, the previous results against Bratislava could be kept in the scoring and, on the other hand, the upcoming games could be taken out of the schedule without penalty verifications. This approach proved to be the fairest solution for all teams after extensive consultation. Furthermore, the changeover to the points system made it possible to react flexibly and at short notice to pandemic-related match cancellations.

Arenas filled again
After one and a half years of ICE operation with severe spectator restrictions or, in some cases, in front of completely empty stands, fans were allowed to return without restriction starting in February 2022. The most important component of the ICE hockey feeling filled the arenas again loudly with atmosphere. The players were rewarded with a steady stream of goals. In total, 1905 goals were scored during the 2021/22 season, which corresponds to an average of 5.97 goals per match.

win2day new title sponsor
At the beginning of the postseason, a new title sponsor and official betting partner of the ICE Hockey League, win2day, was presented.

More than 100,000 spectators in the playoffs
With the return of spectators to the arenas and with a new title sponsor, the great interest in the win2day ICE Hockey League was also reflected in the fan numbers. In the postseason, 109,208 fans came to the arenas. And they were rewarded with thrilling games in the postseason, which started with pre-playoffs for the first time in ICE history.
In the quarterfinals, two series went into game seven. Not only reigning champions EC-KAC was defeated by the spusu Vienna Capitals, who were weakened by replacements, but also newcomer HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana challenged the EC Grand Immo VSV over seven games, in a series in which a new goal record was set. Then, in the semifinals, Hydro Fehérvár AV19 marched through in impressive fashion for the first time, alongside favored EC Red Bull Salzburg.

Right at the start of the final series with the final debutant from Hungary, the next record was broken: In Game 1 of the finals, the EC Red Bull Salzburg and Hydro Fehérvár AV19 engaged in a battle lasting just under 85 minutes - the longest final in ICE history. The other matches were similarly close, but the new champion EC Red Bull Salzburg always had the upper hand.

Three individual awards
Three honors were again awarded for individual achievements. Peter Schneider of the EC Red Bull Salzburg was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the regular season. Second place went to teammate T.J. Brennan, third was John Hughes of the EC GRAND Immo VSV.

With the conclusion of the final series, the playoffs MVP was also named. This was awarded to Atte Tolvanen, another player from Salzburg. With important saves and a save percntage of over 95 percent, the 27-year-old Finn played a major role in the title win. The vote for the Opel & Beyschlag Young Star of the Season was won by Benjamin Lanzinger from the EC GRAND Immo VSV. With 13 goals and 13 assists, the 22-year-old advanced to Villach's best domestic scorer.

The individual talents
John Hughes of the EC GRAND Immo VSV was the top scorer of the past season with 66 points (20G|46A). The Villach team also provided the top goal scorer with Scott Kosmachuk (33). The goalkeeper ranking was won by Salzburg's goalkeeper Tolvanen with a catch rate of 93% and a GAA of 1.77. In general, the goalies were often in focus: With 55 shutouts - 51 in the basic round, four in the playoffs - namely a new season record was set. The most penalized player in the league was Rafael Rotter of the Steinbach Black Wings Linz (122 PIM).

Great successes in the CHL
On the European level, the EC-KAC, EC Red Bull Salzburg and HCB Südtirol Alperia celebrated successes. For the first time since the Champions Hockey League came into existence, the win2day ICE Hockey League finished the league ranking of a Champions Hockey League season in first place. The EC Red Bull Salzburg, EC GRAND Immo VSV and Hydro Fehérvár AV19 are qualified for the upcoming campaign. The group stage starts on September 1st. The draw for the eight groups of four will be made on May 2th5 during the IIHF World Championship in Tampere, Finland.

Final standings win2day ICE Hockey League season 2021/22
1. EC Red Bull Salzburg *
2. Hydro Fehérvár AV19 *
3. EC GRAND Immo VSV *
4. spusu Vienna Capitals
5. HC Pustertal Wölfe
6. HK SŽ Olimpija
7. HC Tesla Orli Znojmo
8. EC-KAC
9. HCB Südtirol Alperia
10. Moser Medical Graz99ers
11. HC TIWAG Innsbruck – die Haie
12. Dornbirn Bulldogs
13. Steinbach Black Wings Linz

* CHL participants 2022/23