It was once again an explosive Carinthian derby in the quarterfinals of the ICE Hockey League. After KAC clearly won the first game 4-0, VSV fought back in the second game and also won 4-0. The third play-off duel between Klagenfurter AC and Villacher SV was on Tuesday. The Villachers got off to a better start. Rebernig gave the Eagles the lead in the second minute. The answer from Klagenfurt followed in the second section. Matt Fraser was there in the rebound and was able to equalize from the Redjackets’ point of view.
Soon after, both teams exercised a little more caution. In the end, it was the Klagenfurt team who had the better end of what was once again an exciting exchange of blows between their arch-rivals. Nikolaus Kraus (47th) made it 2-1 with the first derby goal of his career, in the final seconds Manuel Ganahl increased with an empty net goal. After the first home win in the current series, KAC will have their first chance of making a decision in Villach on Friday.
In the duel between the Capitals and Innsbruck, however, the away team retained the upper hand in the fourth game. Daniel Leavens from Innsbruck scored the first and only goal in Vienna after 26 minutes. Armin Preiser (47th) was responsible for the Caps’ hard-fought equalizer, and it stayed that way until the end of regular time. In the extension, Senna Peeters (71st) let Innsbruck cheer, who have home rights in the next match.
Salzburg had a comfortable starting position before the third duel against Fehervar. In the end, the Bulls won the first three games in the quarterfinals. If they were successful again, the Mozart city-dwellers would certainly have reached the semi-finals. However, the reigning champions initially had to chase a deficit. Hari put the Hungarians ahead in the fourth minute. But Salzburg fought back and were able to turn the game around. From Salzburg’s point of view, the man of the game was Peter Schneider, who put Salzburg on the road to victory with his four-pack. Huber and Robertson finally completed Salzburg’s 6:1 victory, making them the first team to reach the semi-finals.
HCB Südtirol was able to equalize against Black Wings Linz in the series. The South Tyroleans clearly triumphed in the third duel against the Linz team with 5:1. After two minutes, Alberger made it 1-0 for the guests. In the second half, Gazley and Thomas followed suit. At the end of the second third, Gazley followed up with his brace. Frigo made it 5-0 in the third period. Dorion’s powerplay hit was just a result correction.