Release from 19.03.2026

Sisak and Zell am See advance to the semifinals

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With a commanding 7–1 home win over Sterzing, EK Zeller Eisbären secured their place in the semifinals on Thursday. Forward Ethan Szypula recorded a hat-trick for the reigning champions. In addition, KHL Sisak qualified for the semifinals for the first time in club history, defeating Cortina 4–2 in front of their home crowd. More than 2,000 fans packed the arenas at both games.

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KHL Sisak – S.G. Cortina Hafro 4–2 (1–0, 2–0, 1–2)
KHL Sisak reached the semifinals of the Alps Hockey League for the first time. The Croatian team defeated Hafro Cortina Hockey 4–2 on Thursday, with Tjaš Lesničar emerging as the match winner. The 21-year-old opened the scoring in the first period and doubled the lead early in the second in front of a lively crowd of more than 2,100 fans. After Yeob made it 3–0, the game seemed all but decided, but Cortina battled back. Talamini (42’) and Tolomelli (54’) cut the deficit, and the visitors pressed hard for the equalizer in the closing minutes. However, Dumcius sealed the win with an empty-net goal off a Lesničar assist. With their third straight victory, Sisak took the quarterfinal series 4–1.

EK Die Zeller Eisbären – Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan 7–1 (1–0, 2–0, 4–1)
EK Zeller Eisbären stormed into the semifinals with a 7–1 home victory over Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan. The defending champions dominated from the start and took the lead in the 18th minute through Jennes. In the middle frame, Schmid and Szypula extended the advantage to 3–0 in front of more than 2,000 spectators. Brunner briefly gave the visitors hope early in the third period, but back-to-back power-play goals from Szypula and Tomazevic within 28 seconds put the game out of reach. In the closing minutes, Szypula completed his hat-trick before Jennes added the final goal. The Pinzgau side thus won a playoff series against Wipptal for the second year in a row.

Fifth quarterfinal clash between Asiago and Merano postponed to Friday
The fifth quarterfinal game between HC Migross Asiago and HC Meran/o Pircher, originally scheduled for today, Thursday, has been postponed to Friday, March 20, 2026, at 20:00 due to a malfunction of the ice cooling system. The decision was made in agreement with both teams.

Alps Hockey League | Quarterfinal Game 5:
Thu, 19.03.2026:
KHL Sisak – S.G. Cortina Hafro 4:2 (1:0, 2:0, 1:2)
Referees: BULOVEC, OREL, Arlic, Veselka
Goals SIS: Lesnicar (6., 24.), Yeob (34.), Dumcius (60./EN)
Goals SGC: Talamini (42.), Tolomelli (54.)
Series result: 4:1

EK Die Zeller Eisbären – Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan 7:1 (1:0, 2:0, 4:1)
Referees: HUBER R., LAZZERI, Abeltino, Dummermuth-Haas
Goals EKZ: Jennes (18., 58.), Schmid (27.), Szypula (36., 45./PP), 58.), Tomazevic (45.)
Goal WSV: Brunner (41.)
Series result: 4:1

Photo: EKZ/Radlwimmer