The KAC is in the Erste Bank Ice Hockey League (EBEL) continues to be in deep crisis. The runners-up defeated Red Bull Salzburg 4:5 on Sunday at home with a penalty shootout and had to take the sixth consecutive defeat. Salzburg, the Vienna Capitals (6:4 in Innsbruck) and the Black Wings Linz (3:2 in Zagreb) have thus continued to set themselves apart in the pick round.
In the qualifying round, the VSV is back in the fight for a place in the quarter-finals. The Villacher defeated the leaders of the standings Dornbirn 6:3 and advanced to third place with only three points behind the Vorarlberg team. Fehervar took second place thanks to a 3:2 victory over Graz 99ers. In the late duel Znojmo won 1:0 against HCB South Tyrol.
In the pick round, the roles are clearly distributed after two rounds. Defending champions Vienna Capitals (12 points), Salzburg (9) and Linz (8) have the best chances of winning the title in the evening of the 4th round. In the second round of the quarter-finals, I will be able to choose my opponent for the quarter-finals. With two points, the KAC follows in fourth place and a clear downward trend.
The Klagenfurt team also lost their fifth season’s duel with the Red Bull and, with six consecutive defeats in the Stadthalle, are holding their own public at the longest defeat series in eleven years. The “red jackets” were trying hard to make up for a 2-0 deficit, but the uncertainty could not be overlooked. Raphael Herburger won the game in the penalty shootout and secured Salzburg’s eighth success en suite.
On Thursday, the KAC will be making a guest appearance at the Vienna Capitals, which have once again proved to be a peat factory and scored 17 goals in the recent three games. The Viennese won their guest performance in Innsbruck for the eighth time in a row and, after 27 minutes and a 5:0 lead, made the preliminary decision. The Tyroleans were able to shorten the score to 3:5 (45th) with three powerplay goals, but Ryan McKiernan did not even finish the sharks’ hopes a minute later with the sixth Caps hit.
With their tenth victory in the last twelve games, the Linz team maintained contact with the leading duo. The Black Wings made up for a 2-0 deficit in front of more than 5,200 spectators in Zagreb.
In the fight for the last two play-off tickets, Villacher Adler are back in the race with their second victory. Against Dornbirn, the Carinthians gave a strong sign of life. The match winner was 20-year-old Christof Kromp, who took the VSV 3:1 in the good middle third with a double strike. For Dornbirn it was the first defeat after four victories. The Graz 99ers dropped back to fourth place with the second zero in the qualification round.