Release from 30.01.2025
The EK Die Zeller Eisbären have won the Regular Season of the Alps Hockey League. The team from Pinzgau played their last game on Thursday, beating bottom placed HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 5:0 and are now six points ahead of their closest rivals Ritten. The South Tyroleans still have two games to play, but lost the direct duel against Zell am See. There is tension in the battle for second place: Ritten is only one point ahead of third-placed SIJ Acroni Jesenice, who won clearly 7:2 at HC Meran/o Pircher. In the race for the last direct playoff spot, the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan celebrated an important 4:3/OT win against KHL Sisak. As a result, the sixth-placed team from South Tyrol is now just two points behind fifth-placed Cortina. Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel also won 4:3/OT at HK RST Pellet Celje, while the Hockey Unterland Cavaliers continued their run of success with a 3:0 away win at Red Bull Hockey Juniors.
With a commanding 5:0 home win against HC Gherdeina valgardena.it, EK Die Zeller Eisbären secured the victory in the Regular Season. The team from Pinzgau played their last game and are now six points ahead of their closest rivals Ritten, who still have two games to play but lost the direct duel against Zell am See. Timo Pallierer put the home side ahead in the sixth minute in front of almost 2,000 fans against the bottom team from Val Gardena. Matt McLeod increased the lead to 2:0 in the 18th minute and the forward also made it 3:0 shortly before the end of the second period. It was the Canadian's third brace of the season. In the final period, the league leader added two more goals. It was the third shutout of the season for EKZ goalkeeper Alois Schultes. Zell am See thus celebrated their fifth win in a row and their second clean sheet in a row. Val Gardena, on the other hand, suffered their fifth defeat in a row.
Overtime win for Kitzbühel in Celje
Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel celebrated a narrow 4:3 victory after overtime at HK RST Pellet Celje. The home side from Slovenia held a 3:2 lead until 143 seconds before the end of the third period, but then Anthony DeLuca shone. The forward first equalized in the power play and then crowned his strong performance in overtime after just 18 seconds with the game-winner. It was DeLuca's second brace in his sixth game of the season. With this success, the fourth-placed team from Tyrol celebrated its third win in a row, while tenth-placed Celje suffered its third defeat in a row.
Unterland with fourth win in a row
The Hockey Unterland Cavaliers continued their run of success against the Red Bull Hockey Juniors. The South Tyroleans prevailed 3:0 and celebrated their fourth win in a row. For the Juniors, on the other hand, it was their fourth defeat in a row. The eighth-placed team from Neumarkt took the lead in the 13th minute through Davide Girardi. The score remained 1:0 until the 44th minute, when Kristians Samitis made it 2:0. Moritz Kaufmann ensured the final score just a short time later. It was the first shutout of the season for CAV goalkeeper Laurin Foppa.
Jesenice confident in Merano
Third-placed SIJ Acroni Jesenice won 7:2 at HC Meran/o Pircher, celebrating its third win in a row and reducing the gap to second-placed Ritten to one point. In a high-scoring game, the visitors took the lead as early as the fifth minute, but Merano, which suffered its third league defeat in a row and is in ninth place, quickly equalized. By the end of the first period, however, Jesenice were 3:1 in front. In the second period, the “Eagles” quickly managed to score the 2:3. But then the visitors capitalized on mistakes by the South Tyroleans: Merano acted too carelessly when in powerplay and conceded two short-handed goals in the 31st and 39th minutes, allowing Jesenice to pull away to 5:2. The favorites added two more goals in the final period. Santeri Sillanpaa was the only player to score twice.
Sterzing only two points behind Cortina
The Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan won against KHL Sisak 4:3/OT and are now only two points behind fifth-placed Cortina in the table. Next Tuesday, Sterzing and Cortina will face each other in what could be the big showdown for direct playoff qualification. The Broncos were already leading 3:1 in the meantime, but Fabian Hackhofer scored the game-winner in the 64th minute. Overall, it was the fourth win in a row for the South Tyroleans, while seventh-placed Sisak suffered their third defeat in a row.
Alps Hockey League:
Thursday, 30.01.2025
HK RST Pellet Celje - Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel 3:4/OT (1:1, 1:0, 1:2, 0:1)
Referees: BROCK, SNOJ, Markizeti, Wendner | Spectators: 200
Goals HKC: 1:0 Sojer M. (9.), 2:1 Bukovec M. (31.), 3:2 Panasenko B. (47.)
Goals KEC: 1:1 Geifes T. (18.), 2:2 Schmid P. (47.), 3:3 DeLuca A. (58./PP1), 3:4/OT DeLuca A. (61./PP1)
Red Bull Hockey Juniors – Hockey Unterland Cavaliers 0:3 (0:1, 0:0, 0:2)
Referees: HOLZER, SPIEGEL, Rinker, Seewald J.
Goals CAV: 0:1 Girardi D. (13.), 0:2 Samitis K. (44.), 0:3 Kaufmann A M. (45.)
EK Die Zeller Eisbären - HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 5:0 (2:0, 1:0, 2:0)
Referees: HUBER R, RUETZ, Eisl, Zacherl | Spectators: 1.945
Goals EKZ: 1:0 Pallierer T. (6.), 2:0 McLeod M. (18.), 3:0 McLeod M. (39.), 4:0 Putnik P. (53.), 4:0 Ban D. (57.)
Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan - KHL Sisak 4:3/OT (1:0, 1:1, 1:2, 1:0)
Referees: MOSCHEN, PIRAS, Abeltino, Formaioni | Spectators: 551
Goals WSV: 1:0 Gschnitzer J. (9.), 2:1 Capannelli A. (32./PP1), 3:1 Galimberti T. (43.), 4:3/OT Hackhofer F. (64.)
Goals SIS: 1:1 Puzic I. (28.), 3:2 Bronte T. (43.), 3:3 Briere C. (59.)
HC Meran/o Pircher - SIJ Acroni Jesenice 2:7 (1:3, 1:2, 0:2)
Referees: GIACOMOZZI, RIVIS, Fleischmann, Rivis | Spectators: 326
Goals HCM: 1:1 Fuchs J. (7.), 2:3 Gustafsson O. (22.)
Goals JES: 0:1 Sillanpaa S. (5.), 1:2 Lesnicar T. (12./PP1), 1:3 Svetina E. (15.), 2:4 Sillanpaa S. (32./SH1), 2:5 Tursic Seckar M. (39./SH1), 2:6 Svetina E. (47.), 2:7 Bohinc M. (59.)