Release from 11.12.2024

Review of the first half of the Regular Season

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The first half of the Regular Season of the win2day ICE Hockey League 2024/25 season is over and has already provided numerous thrilling moments and impressive performances. Here is a detailed look back at what happened in the first 27 rounds.

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At the top of the table, Hydro Fehérvár AV19 and HCB Südtirol are currently in a thrilling battle. Both teams have 56 points, but Fehérvár is currently in first place thanks to its better goal difference. The Hungarians only had to go into overtime for the first time this season last Sunday, but managed to prevail against Asiago. Bolzano has “already” had to go into overtime or shootout four times, but didn´t lose any of these matches. All other teams have at least one OT or SO defeat.

Behind the international top duo, Steinbach Black Wings Linz are the first Austrian team (49 points). The Upper Austrians impressed with eight wins in a row between November 13 and 29 and, together with Fehérvár, who remained unbeaten between October 12 and November 2, have the longest winning streak of the season. At the moment, EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV is also on a winning streak. The “Eagles” from Villach celebrated their fifth win in a row on Tuesday and, as seventh in the table, are only two points behind the all-important sixth place, which is currently held by local rivals EC-KAC. At the other end of the playoff zone, HC Pustertal are currently in tenth place, which entitles them to take part in the pre-playoffs. Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey, HC TIWAG Innsbruck and Pioneers Vorarlberg are currently outside the pre-playoff zone. For comparison: Last season Salzburg were leading the table at this point, while Graz, who are currently fifth in the table, were bottom of the table.

All-time top goalscorer Brian Lebler leads the goalscoring charts
With 81 goals scored, Linz has the fifth-best offense in the league. VSV are at the top with 91 goals already. However, a well-known player from the “Steel Cities” is the clear leader in the list of goalscorers. League all-time record goalscorer Brian Lebler has already scored 17 times this season. The 36-year-old has already scored twice in a game six times. In total, the two-time ICE champion has 388 goals. The second-best scorer this season is also an Austrian, with Maximilian Rebernig. The Villach forward has 14 goals. Top topscorer are currently Randy Gazzola (ASH) and John Hughes (VSV) with 32 points. The 36-year-old Hughes has a total of 1070 points, making him the all-time topscorer. Thomas Koch follows in second place with 1043 points.

Numerous high-scoring games
The season also has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment. A total of at least ten goals have been scored in 15 games. The spusu Vienna Capitals achieved the highest victory so far with an impressive 10:0 home win against HC TIWAG Innsbruck. While the Capitals equaled the highest home win in league history, the Tyroleans suffered their highest defeat ever. The game between Villach and Asiago also ended in double figures - the “Eagles” prevailed 10:2, with Asiago scoring two goals.

Significant increase in spectator numbers compared to the previous season
Away from the sporting action, the league also recorded a pleasing increase in spectator numbers. With an average of 2,762 fans per match, attendance is 16% higher than at the same point in the previous season. A total of 434,162 spectators have attended the 157 games so far. The spusu Vienna Capitals have the highest average with 4,230 fans per game, followed by the EC-KAC (3,896) and the Steinbach Black Wings Linz (3,583). The Moser Medial Graz99ers recorded the highest increase in spectators with +16.68%.