Release from 01.03.2026

The Pre-Playoff matchups are set

Short text 407 CharactersPlain text

The two matchups for the fifth edition of the Pre-Playoffs in the win2day ICE Hockey League were confirmed on Sunday evening: the Vienna Capitals (#7) selected Hydro Fehérvár AV19 (#10) as their opponent, while EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV (#8) will face the Steinbach Black Wings Linz (#9). Starting Wednesday, these four teams will compete in a best-of-three series for the final two spots in the quarterfinals.

Press release 2731 CharactersPlain text

On a thrilling final day of the regular season, Hydro Fehérvár AV19 secured their Pre-Playoff berth with a derby win over FTC-Telekom. The Vienna Capitals held on to seventh place, earning the right to choose their opponent. The Capitals opted for Fehérvár—meaning Villach and Linz will meet in the other pairing.

The Pre-Playoffs begin on Wednesday, March 4. Game two is scheduled for Friday, March 6, with a potential deciding game to follow on Sunday, March 8.

Pre-Playoff matchups in detail:
Vienna Capitals (7) – Hydro Fehérvár AV19 (10)

Season head-to-head: 3–1 for Vienna

Statement, Head Coach Kevin Constantine (VIC): “From my time with Hydro Fehérvár AV19, I still know a few players there. The team has a lot of quality. In the Pre-Playoffs, everything starts fresh—sometimes it reflects the regular season, but often the circumstances are completely different. It’ll be exciting to see how this series unfolds.”

Statement, Head Coach Ted Dent (AVS): “It’s exciting that we made it in. We’re continuing to play, which was our goal. We played Vienna two days ago, and it helps that we’ve seen how they play and experienced their environment. We’re excited for the challenge. We respect them as a team — they’re well-coached and play hard. We have to be on our toes and be ready to match their intensity.”

Game schedule:
04.03.2026 | Vienna Capitals - Hydro Fehérvár AV19
06.03.2026 | Hydro Fehérvár AV19 - Vienna Capitals
08.01.2026 | Vienna Capitals - Hydro Fehérvár AV19 (if necessary)

EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV (8) – Steinbach Black Wings Linz (9)

Season head-to-head: 2:2

Statement, Head Coach Pierre Allard (VSV): „Linz is a really good team. They got some speed, and so for sure we’re going to have to get ready for that. We already started doing our pre‑scout with them, with the special units, with the faceoff and everything. So we get to review that all together tomorrow and Tuesday, so we’ll have two busy days to get ready for that. But we’re really thrilled to start at home in front of our fans, and we’re going to be pumped up for the game on Wednesday.“

Statement Head Coach Philipp Lukas (BWL): “The games against Villach are always emotional, and especially offensively, their forwards are extremely dangerous. We’re looking forward to a tough and exciting series and will do everything we can to come out on top. For that, we’ll need our best performance every night, from the first to the last minute.”

Game schedule:
04.03.2026 | EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV - Steinbach Black Wings Linz
06.03.2026 | Steinbach Black Wings Linz - EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV
08.01.2026 | EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV - Steinbach Black Wings Linz (if necessary)