Salzburg and Bolzano Reach the Semifinals

Salzburg and Bolzano Qualify for the "Final Four"

EC Red Bull Salzburg celebrated a commanding 5:1 victory in its fifth quarterfinal match against Steinbach Black Wings Linz, qualifying for the semifinals of the win2day ICE Hockey League with a series final score of 4:1. Troy Bourke opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a power-play goal. By the 37th minute, the hosts had increased their lead to 4:0 in front of 3,000 spectators. In the final period, Sean St-Amant managed to score an honor goal for Linz, but it was too late for a comeback. Mario Huber sealed the final score of 5:1 with his second goal of the evening. Thus, Steinbach Black Wings Linz ends their season in the quarterfinals, as they did last season.



Meanwhile, HCB Südtirol Alperia ended the season for EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV. In a fiercely contested fifth quarterfinal match, the Foxes celebrated a narrowly secured 2:1 victory in front of more than 3,000 spectators, winning the “best-of-seven” quarterfinal series with a score of 4:1. The hosts dominated most of the game and took a 1:0 lead in the first period. The Villach team fought back against season elimination with a goal by Felix Maxa in the second period, but the Foxes quickly responded with a goal from Christian Thomas, marking his first playoff goal of the season. In the final seconds, Villach pressed for an equalizer and nearly celebrated in two instances, but overtime eluded them.



Furious Pioneers Inflict Season’s Worst Defeat on KAC
The BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg celebrated a 6:1 thrashing at EC-KAC, thereby staving off season elimination. In the “do-or-die” match against the regular season dominator, the Vorarlberg team excelled, especially in efficiency. Oskar Maier first silenced the sold-out Heidi-Horten-Arena (4,393 spectators) in the 9th minute. The second period brought even worse news for Klagenfurt: The Pioneers scored four more times, entering the final period with a 5:0 lead. Although Johannes Bischofberger managed to score, it wasn’t enough for a comeback. The Pioneers secured a 6:1 away win, forcing a sixth game in the quarterfinal series. The series now moves back to Feldkirch on Wednesday.



Fehérvár Takes the Lead Again
The series between Hydro Fehérvár AV19 and HC Pustertal remains a home team affair. After opening the quarterfinals with two “back-to-back” home victories, the South Tyroleans evened the series in their home games. However, the team from Székesfehérvár took the lead again in their third home game, moving ahead 3:2 in the “best-of-seven” series. This victory, unlike previous matches in this duel, was quite commanding. In the first 40 minutes, the hosts built a 4:1 lead, which they managed to extend at the beginning of the final period. A double from David Morley reignited hope for Pustertal, but in the end, they had to concede a 3:5 defeat. Thus, Fehérvár has the first of two match points for the semifinal entry on Wednesday in Bruneck.

win2day ICE Hockey League | 11.03.2024 | QF5 | Results:
EC-KAC – BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg 1:6 (0:1,0:4,1:1)
Referees: GROZNIK, ZRNIC, Hribar, Mantovani.
„best-of-7“-Serie: 3:2
Goals KAC: Bischofberger (48.)
Goals PIV: Maier (9.), Maver (32.), Oden (33.), Owre (37.), Pastujov (38.), Macierzynski (54.)

Hydro Fehérvár AV19 – HC Pustertal Wölfe (1:0,3:1,1:2)
Referees: FICHTNER, HRONSKY, Durmis, Konc.
„best-of-7“-Serie: 3:2
Goals AVS: Stipsicz (20.), McGauley (22.,50./pp1), Bartalis (33.), Magosi (34.),
Goals PUS: Messner (25.), Morley (53., 58.),

EC Red Bull Salzburg – Steinbach Black Wings Linz 5:1 (2:0,2:0,1:1)
Referees: HUBER, STERNAT, Gatol-Schafranek, Nothegger.
“best-of-7”-Serie: 4:1
Goals RBS: Bourke (5./pp1), Meyer (12.), Nissner (27.), Huber (37./pp1; 46.),
Goals BWL: St-Amant (45./pp1),

HCB Südtirol Alperia – EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV 2:1 (1:0,1:1,0:0)
Referees: OFNER, PIRAGIC, Riecken, Snoj.
“best-of-7”-Serie: 4:1
Goals HCB: McClure (11./pp1), Thomas (32.)
Goals VSV: Maxa (29.)