Release from 10.11.2025

Top Clash on Wednesday – A Look at the Numbers

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After a one-week international break, the win2day ICE Hockey League returns with a true heavyweight matchup to kick off an intense stretch leading up to Christmas. With roughly one-third of the regular season in the books, two teams sit atop the standings that not everyone had pegged as frontrunners before the season began: league leaders HC Falkensteiner Pustertal and second-placed HK Olimpija Ljubljana. A closer look at the stats reveals why both sides have been so successful so far.

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Season Development of the Two Front-Runners
Right from the opening round in September, both Pustertal and Ljubljana made strong statements with dominant wins – each claiming victories by seven-goal margins to take an early share of the league lead.

While the Dragons set the early pace with six straight wins and an impressive goal differential of +25 – more than double that of the next-best team at the time – the Wolves from South Tyrol initially slipped to sixth place.

In October, however, Pustertal caught fire. With eight wins in nine games, the team climbed all the way to the top of the table before suffering a setback in the derby against HCB Südtirol Alperia with a 1:9 defeat. During this hot streak, the Wolves overtook Olimpija for first place – and since then, both clubs have been battling head-to-head for supremacy.

Keys to Success – HK Olimpija Ljubljana

The success of the Dragons is clearly reflected in the numbers:

  • Offensive Power: Olimpija has already scored 80 goals this season – 20 more than the next-best offensive team (HCB Südtirol Alperia). That’s an average of five goals per game. The dynamic duo of Nicolai Meyer and T.J. Brennan has been unstoppable, currently occupying the top two spots in the league’s scoring race (Meyer: 11 goals + 19 assists; Brennan: 10 goals + 17 assists).
  • Power Play: With a power play efficiency of 31.88%, Ljubljana is operating at a historic level. For comparison, the all-time record for a completed ICE season is held by Orli Znojmo (25.33% in 2021/22), just ahead of EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV’s 25.32% last year. The Dragons also draw more penalties than any other team – having earned 69 power play opportunities so far, compared to Villach’s 55 in second place.


Keys to Success – HC Falkensteiner Pustertal

Pustertal’s strength is less visible in traditional stat categories. The South Tyroleans rank around the middle of the pack in most standard metrics, yet they have earned points in 73% of their games – the highest rate of any team in the league. The reasons lie deeper:

  • Top Line Production: The first line of Cole Bardreau, Henry Bowlby, and Nicholas Saracino has been the most effective trio in the win2day ICE Hockey League so far. All three lead the league’s plus/minus ranking, meaning no other unit has produced more on-ice advantage for their team. Particularly impressive is Bardreau, the 32-year-old U.S. forward with NHL experience, who has made a big impact in his first European season. Before the loss to Bozen, he recorded a 10-game point streak. Only Olimpija’s Meyer and Brennan currently sit ahead of him in the league scoring standings.
  • Road Dominance: Pustertal has also been outstanding away from home. In nine road games, the Wolves have lost only twice and went pointless just once. They currently lead the away standings, narrowly ahead of the Moser Medical Graz99ers.

Head-to-Head for the Top Spot

Right after the international break, the two top teams meet for the first time this season in a direct showdown for first place. The all-time head-to-head record between them is nearly even: out of 21 matchups in the win2day ICE Hockey League, Olimpija has won eleven, while Pustertal claimed ten. Five of those contests went to overtime or a shootout.

Heading into Wednesday’s clash, Pustertal holds a one-point lead over Ljubljana. The two sides have already exchanged the top spot multiple times this season – and that could very well happen again if the Dragons come out on top this time.

The game will be streamed LIVE on Sporteurope.TV | Faceoff: 19:45

Photo © HC Pustertal / Iwan Foppa