South Tyrol derby highlight on Friday | Salzburg faces Ljubljana

In the second South Tyrol Derby of the season — and the 200th meeting in history — league leaders HC Falkensteiner Pustertal visit HCB Südtirol Alperia, who are third in the standings, six points off the top. In the first meeting in Bruneck, the hosts won 5–3. It was Pustertal’s second consecutive derby win, after Bolzano had previously won four in a row. Current form favors the visitors from Bruneck, who have won their last five games, most recently 4–1 in Graz on Wednesday. Bolzano lost 3–5 at home to KAC, their first defeat after three straight wins. On the road, Pustertal has scored points in all eight games so far, losing only in Klagenfurt after overtime. Bolzano has won four of their seven home games.

Salzburg must handle Ljubljana’s offense
Defending champions EC Red Bull Salzburg face second-placed Olimpija Ljubljana. The Red Bulls are fifth in the standings, five points behind the Slovenians. In their last two games, Salzburg suffered two defeats: 3–5 at home to Pustertal, followed by a 2–3 OT loss to the Pioneers. Ljubljana, meanwhile, has won its last four games, scoring at least four goals in each. On Wednesday against Budapest, they even scored seven times, with league top scorer Nicolai Meyer (11G | 17A) netting a hat-trick. With a total of 73 goals, they have 22 more than second-best Pustertal and 27 more than Salzburg. The teams met once this season on October 17, when Ljubljana won 4–3 in OT, with T.J. Brennan scoring the game-winner just 11 seconds into overtime.

Linz aims for fourth win in a row
Last year’s semifinalist Steinbach Black Wings Linz is gaining momentum with three straight wins. Most recently, they beat Innsbruck 4–2, and earlier had home wins against Fehérvár (7–1) and Graz (3–2 OT). The Vienna Capitals have also improved recently, winning 6–3 at Fehérvár and 4–3 in a shootout against the Pioneers. In the standings, the Capitals are eighth with 18 points, the Black Wings eleventh with 13. In their first meeting on September 19, both teams produced an offensive spectacle, with the Capitals winning 7–6 at home.

KAC looks to keep Innsbruck in check
EC-KAC has seven wins in their last eight games. The sixth-placed team recently won 5–3 in Bolzano, while 12th-placed HC TIWAG Innsbruck blew a 2–0 lead against Linz, ultimately losing 2–4. For Innsbruck, it was one of four defeats in their last five games. This season, the teams have not yet met; the last encounter on January 26 saw KAC win 11–3 at home. However, in two of the previous three meetings last season, Innsbruck emerged victorious.

Graz seeks first win against Budapest
In the fifth Friday game, FTC-Telekom hosts Moser Medical Graz99ers. On October 10, both teams met for the first time this season in Graz, with Budapest winning 3–2. It was the Hungarians’ last victory; four consecutive losses followed, most recently 4–7 against Ljubljana. Graz lost 1–4 at home to Pustertal on Wednesday, marking three defeats in their last five games. The Styrians remain fourth in the standings, while Budapest is ninth with eight points fewer.

Pioneers and Fehérvár close Round 16 on Saturday
The sixth game of Round 16 is on Saturday between Pioneers Vorarlberg and Hydro Fehérvár AV19. The Hungarian team announced on Thursday that they had parted ways with Head Coach Dávid Kiss, who had been with the team since the 2023/24 season. Assistant Coach Tyler Dietrich will take over interim duties until the international break. The 10th-placed Fehérvár lost 3–6 at home to Vienna on Wednesday and has not won any of their last four games, including the first meeting of the season with the Pioneers (1–4). Vorarlberg, meanwhile, surprised recently with a 3–2 OT home win over champions Salzburg — their first victory after five straight defeats.

Ljubljana and Innsbruck kick off Round 17
In the second Saturday game, Olimpija Ljubljana faces HC TIWAG Innsbruck, both playing their second game in 24 hours. In their first meeting this season in Ljubljana on October 12, the visitors from Innsbruck won a high-scoring-game 7–6 in OT. This game opens Round 17, with the remaining five matches scheduled for Sunday, before the league enters an international break.

win2day ICE Hockey League:
Fri, 31.10.2025:
18:30: FTC-Telekom – Moser Medical Graz99ers
Referees: SIEGEL, SOOS, Bärnthaler, Riecken

19:15: EC-KAC – HC TIWAG Innsbruck
Referees: NAGY, SMETANA, Puff, Vaczi

19:15: EC Red Bull Salzburg – Olimpija Ljubljana
Referees: FICHTNER, STERNAT, Muzsik, Rigoni

19:15: Steinbach Black Wings Linz – Vienna Capitals
Referees: PIRAGIC, VOICAN, Sparer, Zgonc

19:45: HCB Südtirol Alperia – HC Falkensteiner Pustertal
Referees: GROZNIK, HUBER A., Mantovani, Pardatscher

Sat, 01.11.2025:
16:00: Pioneers Vorarlberg – Hydro Fehérvár AV19
Referees: HRONSKY, SCHAUER, Jedlicka, Martin

18:00: Olimpija Ljubljana – HC TIWAG Innsbruck
Referees: REZEK, SEEWALD E., Hribar, Seewald J.

Watch all matches live on Sporteurope.tv.