Release from 26.12.2023
EK Die Zeller Eisbären are the second team this season to secure an early play-off ticket. The "Eisbären" turned around their encounter against the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan on Boxing Day and can therefore no longer be ousted from the top six. The two finalists from the previous season also bounced back with victories on Tuesday. THE EC-KAC Future Team, on the other hand, which had previously suffered 17 consecutive defeats, surprised everyone with its second win in recent days. While EHC Lustenau and HC Meran/o celebrated clear victories, the Rittner Buam SkyAlps and SHC Fassa Falcons narrowly prevailed.
EK Die Zeller Eisbären are now guaranteed a place in the Alps Hockey League playoffs after winning five of their last six games. After the Rittner Buam, the Eisbären are the second team that can no longer be ousted from the top six. After the defeat in the top game last Thursday, the Polar Bears turned the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan encounter around on Boxing Day. The Polar Bears were already 2-0 down in the second period, but fought their way back into the encounter. Clemens Paulweber finally fired Zell into the playoffs in the 59th minute.
Jesenice and Cortina bounce back
SIJ Acroni Jesenice bounced back on the second day of Christmas. After the defending champions fell out of the top six following defeats against Gröden and the EC-KAC Future Team, the Slovenians celebrated a clear 4-0 shutout win over the Steel Wings Linz AG and are now back among the top six teams in the league.
S.G. Cortina Hafro wins the duel between two top-6 teams. After Cortina's 3:4 defeat in the first meeting of the season with the Red Bull Hockey Juniors, the runners-up got their revenge on Boxing Day. Cortina started the game with a lot of pressure and built up a 1:0 lead. The Juniors then got into the game better but were unable to get past Hayden Hawkey. The visitors from Northern Italy finally made the final score 2:0 in the final period.
KAC Future Team with second win in a row
After 17 defeats in a row, the EC-KAC Future Team celebrated its second win in the past days. The team at the bottom of the table clearly beat Jesenice 5:2 at home just before Christmas. In the game against Hockey Unterland Cavaliers on the second Christmas Day, the Klagenfurt team celebrated a 5:4 victory. Fabian Hochegger, who played for the Future Team for the first time this season, scored a brace. This was the Cavaliers' fourth defeat in the last five games.
Clear victories for Lustenau and Meran
EHC Lustenau celebrated a clear success against HC Gherdeina in the neighborhood duel in the table. The team from Vorarlberg was much more efficient and eventually won 6:2 - Max Wennlund scored a brace. This was the first win for the Lions after four defeats in a row.
HC Meran/o celebrated an 8:2 away win at EC Bregenzerwald on Tuesday. This was the second setback for EC Bregenzerwald in the last few days after eight flawless games. The South Tyroleans built up a 5:0 lead in the first 30 minutes before Bregenzerwald started an impressive comeback and reduced the deficit to 4:5 within 20 minutes. Meran finally prevailed 8:4 - Calder Anderson scored a brace.
Close wins for Ritten and Fassa
League leaders Rittner Buam SkyAlps celebrated a narrow victory at EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel - just a few days after clinching a play-off ticket. Ritten took the lead in both the first and second periods - but Kitzbühel found a quick answer both times. The visitors took the lead again in the final period - this time the Adler were unable to hit back - and so the "Buam" finally celebrated a 4:2 victory.
SHC Fassa Falcons continued their upward trend and celebrated a 4:2 victory over HK RST Pellet Celje. The Italians have won four of their last six games to climb into the top 10 of the Alps Hockey League. This was Fassa's seventh win in a row in front of a home crowd. Celje, on the other hand, continue to weaken away from home, picking up just six of a possible 42 points.
Alps Hockey League, 26.12.2023:
SIJ Acroni Jesenice – Steel Wings LINZ AG 4:0 (0:0,1:0,3:0)
Referees: FAJDIGA, KUMMER, Murnik, Telesklav.
Goals JES: 1:0 JES Logar M. (38:51 / Us Z. / EQ), 2:0 JES Cimzar T. (52:09 / Planko D. ,Jezovsek Z. / EQ), 3:0 JES SPARI LEBEN Z. (53:53 / Sodja U. ,Svetina E. / EQ), 4:0 JES Jezovsek Z. (59:10 / Tursic Seckar M. ,Bohinc M. / EQ)
EC-KAC Future Team – Hockey Unterland Cavaliers 5:4 (2:1,1:1,2:2)
Referees: SCHWEIGHOFER, WUNTSCHEK, Klemm, Markizeti.
Goals KFT: 1:0 KFT Slivnik L. (00:30 / Lippitsch J. ,Tavzelj A. / EQ), 2:1 KFT Kramer N. (14:41 / Klassek T. ,Hochegger F. / PP), 3:1 KFT Hochegger F. (36:08 / Preiml M. ,Sunitsch M. / PP), 4:3 KFT Hochegger F. (53:15 / Gomboc L. ,Preiml M. / EQ), 5:3 KFT Sunitsch M. (58:42 / unassisted / 3:5 SH)
Goals HCU: 1:1 HCU Käyrä A. (07:13 / Sullmann M. ,Curti A. / EQ), 3:2 HCU Galassiti D. (38:15 / Galassiti G. ,Sullmann A. / EQ), 3:3 HCU Zerbetto G. (46:27 / Pisetta V. ,Pisetta T. / EQ), 5:4 HCU Käyrä A. (59:58 / Sullmann M. ,Nyman L. / PP)
Red Bull Hockey Juniors – S.G. Cortina Hafro 0:2 (0:1,0:0,0:1)
Referees: MEIXNER, WIDMANN, Seewald J., Wendner.
Goals SGC: 0:1 SGC Di Tomaso G. (19:01 / Traversa T. ,Lacedelli R. / EQ), 0:2 SGC Adami F. (49:03 / Traversa T. ,De Zanna R. / PP)
EK Die Zeller Eisbären – Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan 3:2 (0:1,1:1,2:0)
Referees: KAINBERGER, OREL, Puff, Wucherer.
Goals EKZ: 1:2 EKZ Wilenius T. (33:18 / Cuma T. ,Jennes C. / EQ). 2:2 EKZ Wilenius T. (47:53 / Huard N. ,Cuma T. / EQ), 3:2 EKZ Paulweber C. (58:30 / Berger H. ,Lahoda A. / EQ)
Goals WSV: 0:1 WSV Niccolai A. (01:22 / Conci D. ,Cianfrone B. / EQ), 0:2 WSV Conci D. (24:46 / Gschliesser F. ,Cianfrone B. / PP)
EHC Lustenau – HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 6:2 (2:1,1:0,3:1)
Referees: MOSCHEN, RUETZ, Grisenti, Hesina.
Goals EHC: 1:0 EHC Oberscheider D. (03:09 / Wilfan M. ,Alasaari F. / EQ), 2:1 EHC Kandemir A. (08:26 / Wilfan M. ,Wennlund M. / EQ), 3:1 EHC Wennlund M. (30:27 / Wilfan M. ,Gratzer S. / EQ), 4:1 EHC Wilfan M. (44:26 / Kandemir A. ,Alasaari F. / EQ), 5:2 EHC Moosbrugger L. (56:03 / Haberl L. ,Hrdina S. / PP), 6:2 EHC Wennlund M. (58:49 / Oberscheider D. ,Hrdina S. / EQ)
Goals GHE: 1:1 GHE Luisetti M. (06:49 / Schulze K. ,McGowan B. / PP), 4:2 GHE De Luca A. (50:42 / Schulze K. ,Kasslatter H. / PP)
EC Bregenzerwald – HC Meran/o Pircher 4:8 (0:2,1:3,3:3)
Referees: BENVEGNU, SPIEGEL, Formaioni, Jäger.
Goals ECB: 1:5 ECB Kulintsev D. (34:57 / Lipsbergs R. ,Auvinen H. / EQ), 2:5 ECB Auvinen H. (40:19 / Kulintsev D. ,Lipsbergs R. / EQ), 3:5 ECB Embrich E. (46:28 / Lipsbergs R. ,Kulintsev D. / PP), 4:5 ECB Lipsbergs R. (50:27 / Auvinen H. ,Erne L. / EQ)
Goals HCM: 0:1 HCM McNally B. (03:36 / Thaler S. ,Rein N. / EQ), 0:2 HCM Garreffa J. (10:22 / Borgatello C. ,Beber P. / EQ), 0:3 HCM Ritchie N. (26:59 / Borgatello C. ,Anderson C. / PP), 0:4 HCM Thaler S. (27:55 / Ricci F. ,Tomasini P. / PP), 0:5 HCM Anderson C. (29:29 / unassisted / EQ), 4:6 HCM Ansoldi L. (57:54 / Garreffa J. ,Ricci F. / PP), 4:7 HCM Anderson C. (58:18 / Ritchie N. / EQ), 4:8 HCM Castlunger M. (59:09 / Ansoldi L. ,Borgatello C. / EQ)
EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel – Rittner Buam SkyAlps 2:4 (1:1,1:1,0:2)
Referees: LAZZERI, LEHNER, Fleischmann, Matthey.
Goals KEC: 1:1 KEC Urbanek M. (18:02 / Niemelä J. ,Podlipnik M. / PP), 2:2 KEC Hochfilzer H. (26:20 / Podlipnik M. / EQ)
Goals RIT: 0:1 RIT Insam M. (12:38 / Kostner J. ,Kostner S. / PP), 1:2 RIT Kostner J. (23:26 / Szypula E. ,Lobis A. / EQ), 2:3 RIT Kostner S. (44:01 / Marzolini M. ,Graf T. / EQ), 2:4 RIT Coatta M. (59:19 / Valentini E. / EQ)
SHC Fassa Falcons – HK RST Pellet Celje 4:2 (2:1,0:0,2:1)
Referees: LEGA, SORAPERRA, Cristeli, Cusin.
Goals FAS: 1:1 FAS Sylwander J. (11:42 / Selin S. ,Näslund V. / PP), 2:1 FAS Biondi L. (19:40 / Selin S. ,Näslund V. / PP), 3:2 FAS Sylwander J. (48:47 / Iori D. ,Lillie T. / EQ), 4:2 FAS Sylwander J. (59:11 / Lillie T. / EQ)
Goals HKC: 0:1 HKC Panasenko B. (06:10 / Sirovnik N. ,Golynsky D. / PP), 2:2 HKC Sotlar J. (43:52 / Mintautiskis M. ,Kuret B. / EQ)
Foto (c): EK Zeller Eisbären