Record ice hockey champion KAC is still in crisis in the EBEL. In the duel between the last year’s two finalists, the Klagenfurt team lost in the third round of the final on Thursday. Pick-Round round away against the front runner Vienna Capitals with 1:4 and won the seventh consecutive defeat. The second Red Bull Salzburg celebrated a spectacular 9:5 home win over the third Black Wings Linz.
The KAC slipped to fifth place because Medvescak Zagreb scored a 5-3 victory at the HC Innsbruck. In the qualification round, the Dornbirner EC defended its first place three points ahead of the new second VSV in Villach, which won against Znojmo 4:2 in Villach, with a home 4:3 over Fehervar. The Graz 99ers won a 4-0 home win against HCB Südtirol.
Klagenfurter without chances
In Vienna, the capitals, which remained immaculate in the Pick Round from the first to the last second, were clearly dominant and did not leave the guests with a chance. Goals from Schneider (16/PP, 24th), McKiernan (32nd/PP) and Holzapfel (56th/PP) sealed the sovereign success against the KAC, which in the finish by Duller (58th) only achieved result cosmetics.
The defending champion is still three points ahead of Red Bull Salzburg, who beat the Black Wings in a 9:5 goal-scoring event on their own ice. It was Mozartstadt’s ninth success en suite.
VSV on the upswing
Villach was self-confident after the two opening victories and deservedly went through the first powerplay by Sofron (11th). Glenn went down to 2-0 after a nice action, Hickmott (23rd) won the first round against harmless Czechs at the beginning of the second period. The VSV then shifted down a gear, Znojmo was still doing some result cosmetics. Sofron scored a second time for the reinvigorated “eagles”.
Dornbirn was trailing by 2:3 after two thirds against Fehervar, but Caruso (45th) and Reid (52nd) turned the game around for the hosts. While the Dornbirner are well on their way to the quarter-final play-off, the fifth-placed Graz 99ers are currently far from it. The 4-0 defeat to Bolzano was the third defeat in the third qualifying round game.