Release from 14.03.2025

Thomas Hundertpfund on the key factors in the sixth quarter-final game

Short text 571 CharactersPlain text

The sixth quarter-final clash between HC Pustertal and regular-season champion EC-KAC will take place in Bruneck on Friday evening (19:30/live.ice.hockey). The visitors from Klagenfurt currently lead the series 3:2, but suffered a 2:4 home defeat on Tuesday, missing out on an early semi-final spot. Thomas Hundertpfund names several reasons for the defeat at home to Pustertal. The 35-year-old, who has already played 178 playoff games for the KAC, is not surprised by HC Pustertal's strong performance, but is confident that promotion will be secured in the sixth game.

Press release 1585 CharactersPlain text

“We're not surprised by HC Pustertal, we knew that they play hard, that they're very strong on the counter-attack and have a good power play. They've shown all that in the series so far, so we've been warned. The sixth game in a series is obviously very important, we want to go all in and give our opponents few power plays and take away their speed through the neutral zone. If we can do that, I think we'll have enough chances in offense to win the game,” says Thomas Hundertpfund.

The 35-year-old native of Klagenfurt is currently in his 18th season with the professionals of his home town club. The only exception was the 2013/14 season, when the center moved to Timrå IK in Sweden. In 743 league games to date, Hundertpfund has scored 491 points (175 goals, 316 assists). In the playoffs, the four-time league champion has been on the ice 178 times, scoring 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists).

On Friday in Bruneck, the aim is to advance to the semi-finals and to learn from the mistakes of the fifth game - then, according to Hundertpfund, the away win should happen: “On Friday, we have to make sure above all that we don't run into so many counterattacks again, i.e. be better defensively and give up fewer easy chances. At the front, we need to generate more pressure, more drive towards the goal, more traffic in front of the goalie to restrict his vision. Then the goals will bounce in again.”

Game six between HC Pustertal and EC-KAC is available on www.live.ice.hockey on Friday from 19:30.