Release from 27.12.2023
Only four rounds remain in the Regular Season of the Alps Hockey League. On Thursday, league leader Rittner Buam SkyAlps will face third-placed Red Bull Hockey Juniors in the 27th round. The Juniors can become the third team to secure a Playoff ticket with a win after 60 minutes and a defeat of the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan against the EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel. In the second clash between two Top-6 teams, fifth-placed S.G. Cortina Hafro will face fourth-placed EC Bregenzerwald. As usual, all eight games are available in the PPV livestream on valcome.tv.
Alps Hockey League | 28.12.
Thu, 28.12.2023, 18:00: Rittner Buam SkyAlps - Red Bull Hockey Juniors
Referees: EGGER, HOLZER, Pace, Rinker. | >> valcome.tv <<
League leader Rittner Buam SkyAlps face third-placed Red Bull Hockey Juniors in the top game on Thursday. Both teams are separated by eleven points. While the Buam already secured the Playoff ticket, the Juniors can clinch the Playoffs with a win after 60 minutes and a defeat of the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan. On Tuesday, the Juniors lost 0:2 at home against Cortina, failing to score for the first time this season and conceding only their second defeat in the last twelve games. Ritten prevailed 4:2 in Kitzbühel and celebrated their fifth win in a row. The South Tyroleans are ten games without a defeat at home. The Buam were last defeated at home by the EHC Lustenau on October 7. Ritten narrowly won the first duel of the season with the Juniors 4:3/OT.
Thu, 28.12.2023, 18:00: Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan - EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel
Referees: PINIE, SPIEGEL, Brondi, Hesina. | >> valcome.tv <<
The Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan lost after a 2:0 lead on Boxing Day in Zell am See and slipped back from sixth to seventh place in the table. As a result, the South Tyroleans are outside the Master Round places with four matchdays to go in the Regular Season. They are one point behind sixth-placed Jesenice. The EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel lost 2:4 at home to league leader Ritten and are eighth in the table. However, the Tyroleans are already eight points behind the sixth place and therefore have little chance of reaching the Master Round. Vipiteno's defeat in Zell am See was their fifth loss in a row. Kitzbühel have lost two of their last five games. Kitzbühel won the first duel of the season 5:2.
Thu, 28.12.2023, 19:00: HK RST Pellet Celje - EC-KAC Future Team
Referees: BAJT, BROCK, Jeram, Kanyo. | >> valcome.tv <<
Bottom of the table EC-KAC Future Team visits 15th-placed HK RST Pellet Celje. Both teams are separated by three points. While Celje are without a win in the Alps Hockey League since November 17 and ten games, Klagenfurt have recently won two games in a row after losing 17 games in a row. In addition to Jesenice, the Future Team also defeated Unterland. The league's weakest offense scored five goals in both games. KFT lost their first clash with league newcomer Celje 3:5.
Thu, 28.12.2023, 19:15: Steel Wings Linz AG - HC Gherdeina valgardena.it
Referees: KAINBERGER, LEHNER, Eisl, Matthey. | >> valcome.tv <<
After three wins in a row, the HC Gherdeina valgardena.it was clearly beaten 2:6 in Lustenau on Tuesday. The Steel Wings LINZ AG failed to pick up a point in its last two games. The Upper Austrians have already been overtaken in the table by the South Tyroleans. Gherdeina is thirteenth with 32 points, followed by the Steel Wings with 30 points. The two teams faced each other for the first time this season on November 25. Back then, Linz won with a 4:3/OT victory. It was one of two wins for the Steel Cities over the Furie in the AHL so far.
Thu, 28.12.2023, 20:00: Hockey Unterland Cavaliers - SIJ Acroni Jesenice
Referees: LESNIAK, VIRTA, Bergant, De Zordo. | >> valcome.tv <<
Defending champion SIJ Acroni Jesenice celebrated their first win on Tuesday after two consecutive defeats and climbed to the sixth place in the table, one point ahead of seventh-placed Vipiteno. The Hockey Unterland Cavaliers have only won one of their last five games and are in twelfth place in the table, but no longer have a chance of reaching the Master Round. The team from Neumarkt has won three of its five AHL duels against Jesenice. Unterland also had the upper hand in the first duel of the season (5:2).
Thu, 28.12.2023, 20:30: S.G. Cortina Hafro - EC Bregenzerwald
Referees: SORAPERRA, WUNTSCHEK, Cristeli, Telesklav. | >> valcome.tv <<
S.G. Cortina, fifth in the table, faces the EC Bregenzerwald, fourth in the table. Both teams are separated by just two points and can take a big step towards the playoff qualification on Thursday. Bregenzerwald has recently suffered two defeats in a row after winning eight games in a row before. On Boxing Day, they suffered a clear 4:8 defeat at home to Merano. Cortina won 2:0 in Salzburg. It was one of five wins from the last seven games for last year's finalist. Cortina won the first duel of the season 3:2/SO. In the meantime, Bregenzerwald led 2:0 after a brace from Julian Zwerger.
Thu, 28.12.2023, 20:30: HC Meran/o Pircher - EHC Lustenau
Referees: RICCO, STEFENELLI, Fecchio, Wiest.| >> valcome.tv <<
Both the HC Meran/o Pircher and the EHC Lustenau celebrated a win on Tuesday. For Lustenau, the 6:2 home win against Gherdeina was their first victory after four consecutive defeats. Merano clearly beat Bregenzerwald 8:4 and celebrated their second win in a row. The South Tyroleans are ninth in the table with 36 points, while the EHC has one point less and is eleventh. The fans saw a high-scoring game in the first duel of the season, with the worse result for the home team from Lustenau. The Vorarlberg side led 7:6 after 40 minutes, but were beaten in the end 7:10. It was the Eagle´s second win in their sixth AHL duel.
Thu, 28.12.2023, 20:45: SHC Fassa Falcons - EK Die Zeller Eisbären
Referees: GIACOMOZZI, PIRAS, Formaioni, Rivis. | >> valcome.tv <<
The 27th round will be concluded with the game between the SHC Fassa Falcons and the EK Die Zeller Eisbären. The second-placed team from Zell am See became the second team to secure a Playoff ticket on Tuesday. Fassa is in tenth place and only have a mathematical chance of finishing in the Top-6. The Italians beat league newcomer Celje 4:2 at home on Tuesday. It was Fassa's seventh home win in a row. Zell am See have only won two of their last five away games. The team from Salzburg have always found it difficult against the Falcons recently. In Zell am See, they lost the first duel of the season 5:6/SO. It was Fassa's third win against the Polar Bears in a row. The Italians have even won eight of their last ten games.
Copyright: Max Pattis