Salzburg on top, Bolzano comes close to playoffs

The game started with a Carruth-save, then Palin shot on the other end but Tuokkola also saved. Bolzano started better in general, which resulted in a goal, Halmo dangled in front of the net and put the puck behnd Carruth. The guests pushed hard after the goal, too but the score remained 0-1. Uotila shot from the blue line, then Stipsicz threatened five minutes before the end of the period. Koger and co. bounced back at the end of the period but there were only minor chances. The first 20 minutes ended with another save from Carruth, DeSousa missed a breakaway. Fehervar came out better for the second period, Hari missed, then Erdely fought his way to the net. Gartner fouled and Fehervar scored on the powerplay, LoVecchio scored after the rebound of Manavian’s blueliner. The game was a really exciting, real playoff-worthy battle in the upcoming minutes, with chances on both sides. Latendresse got a penalty, but Bolzano did not score five on four. Music passed behind his back to Uotila, playing full strength but he missed. LoVecchio was the next in the penalty box and the guests did not miss this opportunity, Petan put a rebound in the net. At the end of the second period, Bolzano attacked more and scored again before the buzzer, Smith scored after Sointu’s pass. Fehervar had to put all in in the third period to keep the playoff chances alive. 2 minutes into the period, Carlisle fouled against Erdely but Fehervar did not threaten, then five on five, Hari missed. Bolzano did not risk too much and defended well, they blocked almost all shots on their end. In the middle of the period, Halmo missed a breakaway, then Angelidis threatened. Luttinen missed a big chance, then 4 minutes before the buzzer, Erdely’s chance was saved by Tuokkola. Just two and a half minutes were left in the game when Gartner got a penalty. Hannu Järvenpää used his timeout, and pulled his goalie but the Hungarians could not push hard enough to score another goal. Bolzano took a big step towards playoffs with the well-deserved win. 

 

First period did not bring much in terms of excitement. Spectators witnessed fast-paced hockey but very few scoring opportunities. Any shots heading towards the net were stopped by goalies. Znojmo´s Boruta had perhaps the biggest opportunity, but his rebound into open goal was stopped by a defenseman. Things kicked off after the break. Antonin Boruta first went on to a solo effort all the way from his own zone, moved past the defense and scored with a backhand shot off the post. Bulldogs turned the score around around the midway point of the game. Jerome Leduc equalized on a powerplay with a slapshot from the point and Chris D´Alvise netted a precise wristshot from the slot. Znojmo got back to level the score before the intermission when Tomas Guman scored with a rebound from close range. Eagles came close to winning the game on few occassions late in the third period. Radek Cip hit a goalpost twice in one shift, Guman had a big chance with few minutes to go, but the game went into overtime and Jerome Leduc scored after 28 seconds to seal a two-point win for Dornbirn.

 

After five minutes of play in the first period the visitors hit the upper post and the referees decided the goal was no good after five minutes of replay. It was a hard game, smart game, a true playoff hockey. In the 32nd minute Andreas Nodl takes advantage of the scramble in front of Vilim Rosandic in net and breaks the score. Both teams continued to play very attractive hockey, which paid off for Medvescak who levelled the score in the 58th minute through Mike Aviani and took the game into overtime. In overtime Vienna was better and outshot the hosts who were saved by their fantastic young goalie once again. In the shootout Vienna scored twice (Buck, Vause), the Bears only once (Morley). Medveščak saw Buck return to the den after long years of exile and lost the chance for home ice advantage in the playoffs. 

 

Innsbruck saw another crazy game between the hosts and Salzburg. The Red Bulls took a 3:0 lead - Hughes (4.), Duncan (14./pp), Huber (16.) - into the first intermission but the sharks came back. Wahl, Spurgeon and Poulsen tied it within two minutes. The Tirolese had the momentum and pressed for another goal but it was Brant Harris who restored Salzburg's lead. In the third Innsbruck goalie Rene Swette had some big saves but it was not enough as Peter Mueller and Thomas Raffl rounded off the scoring for a 6:3 road win. As a result EC Red Bull Salzburg went top of the league for the first time this season.

After an open exchange of blows in the first minutes, Klagenfurt took over command but could not take advantage of some chances. In the middle period the hosts continued to generate and finally Andrew Kozek made the breakthrough.  Late in the period Thomas Hundertpfund doubled the score but joy was short-lived as Dan DaSilva got Linz on the scoreboard with a power play marker. Despite being one man down, the Upper Austrians tied the game  in the third with DaSilva earning his second of the night. With six minutes to go it was Thomas Koch, who put Klagenfurt ahead once again. Linz tried everything but despite pulling the goalie, they could not equalize it and dropped to third place.

 

The two bottom clubs faced in Villach with Graz getting an early lead thanks to Mario Lamoureux. Late in the first Ken Ograjensek doubled the lead on powerplay. The hosts bounced back in the second with Jordan Hickmott pulling one back at the halfway point of the game. And the hosts even turned the game around when Ben Walter and Sam Labrecque lit the lamp. Markus Schlacher's 4:2 with ten minutes to go was not the decision as Graz tied the game within 37 seconds (Setzinger and Oberkofler). Graz came close to decide it in regulation but as the game went into overtime, it was Lamoureux who decided it with his second of the night.

 

Referees: LEMELIN, STOLC, Pardatscher, Tschrepitsch; 2.300 spectators

Goals HCI: Wahl (26.), Spurgeon (28.), Poulsen (28.) 

Goals RBS: Hughes (4.), Duncan (14./pp), Huber (16.), Harris (31.), Mueller (53.), Raffl (58.).

Referees: M. NIKOLIC, STERNAT, Bärnthaler, Soos; 4.567 spectators

Goal MZA: Mike Aviani (58.)

Goals Caps: Rafael Rotter (32.), Taylor Vause (65./PS)

Referees: BALUSKA, PIRAGIC, Pagon, Zgonc; 3.451 spectators

Goals KAC: Kozek (22./pp), Hundertpfund (38.), Koch (54.)

Goals EHL: DaSilva (40./pp; 44./sh)

 

Referees: K. NIKOLIC, SMETANA, Kontschieder, Seewald; 3.420 spectators

Goal AVS: LoVecchio (24./pp)

Goals HCB: Halmo (8.), Petan (35./pp), Smith (39.)

 

Referees: GRUBER, TRILAR, Ettlmayr, Hribar; 2.177 spectators

Goals Villach: Hickmott (31.), Walter (37.), Labrecque (38.), Schlacher (52.) 

Goals Graz: Lamoureux (1., 63./pp), Ograjensek (17./pp), Setzinger (56.), Oberkofler (57.)

 

Referees: KINCSES, SIEGEL, Nagy, Nemeth; 2.018 spectators

Goals Znojmo: Boruta (24.), Guman (39.)

Goals Dornbirn: Leduc (28./PP), D´Alvise (31.), Leduc (61.)