Zell pulls level with leader Ritten | Kitzbühel pushes the door to the Master Round wide open

Zell pulls level with leader Ritten
EK Die Zeller Eisbären earned a gritty 3-2 victory in the top matchup against SIJ Acroni Jesenice. After a scoreless opening period in Slovenia, it was the home side that struck first – and they did so twice. However, the “Polar Bears” ramped up the pressure in the final frame, tying the game with two goals by the 51st minute and clawing their way back into the contest. The visitors from Salzburg stayed clinical: Robin Johansson sealed the deal in the 55th minute with the game-winning goal.

Kitzbühel pushes the door to the Master Round wide open
The Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel pushed the door to the Master Round wide open. The team from Kitzbühel celebrated a commanding victory over the Hockey Unterland Cavaliers on Thursday evening. Jakob Lippitsch put his team on the right track early with a quick-fire double. Jayson Ren extended the lead to 3-0 in the second period, before Lippitsch completed his hat-trick – also in the middle frame – delivering the decisive blow. Kitzbühel ultimately came away with a 5-1 win, putting them within striking distance of third-placed Jesenice.

Sisak stays in the hunt for the Top 5
KHL Sisak remains in contention for the Master Round after a win over HK RST Pellet Celje. The visitors from Celje struck first on Thursday night, but Sisak leveled the score late in the opening period, setting the stage for a turnaround. Two quick goals at the start of the second period gave Sisak a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame. While Celje cranked up the pressure in the third, they couldn’t find the back of the net again. Sisak eventually wrapped up a 4-1 victory.

Broncos secure home win
The Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan claimed a 3-1 home win over the Red Bull Hockey Juniors. After a scoreless first period, Connor Savido broke the deadlock early in the second, putting the Broncos ahead. The young Salzburg squad quickly responded with a power-play goal to tie things up. However, the Broncos reclaimed the lead later in the same period and held on, eventually sealing the 3-1 victory.

Alps Hockey League, Thursday, 23.01.2025:
SIJ Acroni Jesenice – EK Die Zeller Eisbären 2:3 (0:0,2:0,0:3)
Referees: METZINGER, SNOJ, Knez, Markizeti.

Goals:
1:0 JES Sturm J. (36:11 / Brus N. ,Valtola O. / EQ)
2:0 JES Sillanpaa S. (39:49 / Sturm J. / EQ)
2:1 EKZ Wilfan M. (44:49 / Widen F. ,Putnik P. / PP)
2:2 EKZ Berger H. (50:05 / Artner F. ,Putnik P. / EQ)
2:3 EKZ Johansson R. (54:49 / Steffler D. / EQ)

Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel – Hockey Unterland Cavaliers 5:1 (2:0,2:0,1:1)
Referees: KAINBERGER, RUETZ, Abeltino, Rinker.

Goals:
1:0 KEC Christiansen S. (02:14 / Lippitsch J. / EQ)
2:0 KEC Lippitsch J. (16:20 / Ketonen N. ,De Luca A. / PP)
3:0 KEC Ren J. (27:54 / Geifes T. / EQ)
4:0 KEC Lippitsch J. (33:23 / Waschnig L. ,Maxa A. / EQ)
5:0 KEC Hochfilzer H. (41:24 / Schmid P. ,Engelhart J. / EQ)
5:1 CAV Girardi D. (54:43 / Remolato N. ,Liprandi M. / PP)

KHL Sisak – HK RST Pellet Celje 4:1 (1:1,2:0,1:0)
Referees: LESNIAK, WIDMANN, Javornik, Wucherer.

Goals:

0:1 HKC Sojer M. (10:44 / Zorman Z. ,Dolzan D. / EQ)
1:1 SIS Simunkovic M. (19:41 / Idzan V. ,Cavlovic N. / EQ)
2:1 SIS Dostalek V. (21:02 / Bronte T. / EQ)
3:1 SIS Bebek A. (23:00 / Simunkovic M. / EQ)
4:1 SIS Briere C. (54:56 / Bronte T. ,Alic T. / EQ)

Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan – Red Bull Hockey Juniors 3:1 (0:0,2:1,1:0)
Referees: LEGA, MOSCHEN, Cusin, Rivis.

Goals:
1:0 WSV Sanvido C. (20:53 / Campoli N. ,Capannelli A. / EQ)
1:1 RBJ Assavolyuk D. (25:04 / Vinzens P. ,Krainer B. / PP)
2:1 WSV Livingston J. (31:38 / Capannelli A. ,Sanvido C. / PP)
3:1 WSV Capannelli A. (40:44 / Campoli N. ,Hackhofer F. / EQ)

Foto © EKZ