Release from 15.03.2026

Sabres, Highlanders, Aisulu, and MAC advance to the EWHL semifinals

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On Sunday, the European Women’s Hockey League held its thrilling quarterfinal return legs. Title defenders Aisulu Almaty, last year’s finalists Sabres St. Pölten, the KSV Highlanders, and MAC Budapest all advanced. The winners were determined by the aggregate score from the first and second leg. The semifinal matchups are scheduled for next weekend.

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Highlanders edge past South Tyrol
A true thriller unfolded between the KSV Highlanders and the EVB Eagles South Tyrol. In the end, the Highlanders narrowly prevailed, winning 5–4 on aggregate. After a 3–2 home win on Friday, the Highlanders trailed 1–2 in Bolzano with just 115 seconds remaining on Sunday, making overtime look inevitable. But Nina Rainer scored the 2–2 equalizer, sending the fifth-place team from the regular season into the semifinals. For the Eagles, who finished third in the regular season, the season is over. The other three goals all came in the middle period: Bozen initially took the lead (22’), the Highlanders quickly equalized (28’), and the hosts regained the lead (30’).

St. Pölten handles Salzburg comfortably
Last year’s finalists Sabres St. Pölten advanced to the semifinals with an aggregate score of 5–1 against the DEC Salzburg Eagles. In the return leg on Sunday, the Sabres won 2–1 at home. Salzburg initially took the lead in the 30th minute, but the Sabres stayed composed: Meaghan Chittick equalized in the 37th minute, and Ashley Taciuk scored in the 47th minute to seal the victory for the regular season champions.

Aisulu overturn Villach in return leg
Title defenders Aisulu Almaty made quick work of the VSV Lady Hawks in the return leg, advancing to the semifinals with an aggregate score of 9–6. Villach had surprisingly won the first leg 5–4 at home on Friday, but the Kazakh side responded on Sunday with a 5–1 victory. After just 17 minutes, Aisulu was already up 3–0, and goals in the 32nd and 48th minutes extended the lead to 5–0. Although the Lady Hawks scored again in the 55th minute, it was not enough – the big upset of the seventh-place team against the second-place regular season team did not materialize.

MAC Budapest beats Bratislava in overtime
In the fourth quarterfinal, the match was decided in overtime. MAC Budapest defeated HK PSRZ Bratislava with an aggregate score of 4–3. Bernadett Nemeth scored the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute for a 4–1 away victory. Bratislava had won the first leg in Budapest 2–0.

Semifinal matchups (Fri, 20.03. und Sun, 22.03.):
Sabres St. Pölten - MAC Budapest
Aisulu Almaty - KSV Highlanders

European Women’s Hockey League, Quarterfinals:
Sunday, 25.03.2026:
Sabres St. Pölten – DEC Salzburg Eagles 2:1 (0:0, 1:1, 1:0)
Aisulu Almaty - VSV Lady Hawks 5:1 (3:0, 1:0, 1:1)
EVB Eagles South Tyrol - KSV Highlanders 2:2 (0:0, 2:1, 0:1)
HK PSRZ Bratislava - MAC Budapest 1:4/OT (0:1, 1:1, 0:1, 0:1)