There were only four left! The exciting semi-final series in the Austrian Ice Hockey League start on Saturday: EHC Lustenau meets HC Kufstein at the start of the best-of-three series in the Rheinhalle Lustenau. Kapfenberg awaits an “old friend” at home in the Kapfenberg town hall in the first match of the best-of-three series with SC Hohenems – it is the fifth playoff series between the two clubs in the fifth ÖEL season.
Semifinal 1 – Game 1: EHC Lustenau vs. HC Kufstein
Sat., February 21, 2026, 5:30 p.m., Rheinhalle Lustenau
The EHC Lustenau meets in the semi-finals of the Austrian Ice Hockey League at the start of the best-of-three series on Saturday in the Rheinhalle Lustenau HC Kufstein. It is the duel between the winner of the West Division and the third-placed team in the West after the regular round.
The two semi-final opponents have already met four times in the current season, the Lions are ahead with 4-0 wins in direct comparison and are therefore going into the playoff series as slight favorites. Vorarlberg won the first two meetings in the Kufstein Arena in mid-October with 5:3 and at the end of November with 6:3. Both games were exciting and hard-fought.
In the first matchup in the Rheinhalle before Christmas, the Lustenauers also celebrated a narrow 4-2 victory. In mid-January, EHC Lustenau won at home against the Dragons 6:4. The Tyroleans were ahead twice in their last meeting – 2:1 and 3:2 – before the Lustenauers turned the game around.
The Lions prevailed in two games in the quarter-finals against ATSE Graz, at home they won 7-2 against Graz, and with a 4-1 away win, head coach Dániel Fekete’s team secured their place in the last four.
HC Kufstein prevailed in the quarter-finals in two nerve-wracking games against Sharks Gmunden. Away in Gmunden, the Tyroleans won 4-3 in an overtime thriller – the match winner was striker Clemens Paulweber, who scored a shorthander and later the decisive goal in extra time.
The home game in the fortress city topped everything: this time the game even went to a penalty shootout, which was only decided with the 30th penalty. Once again Clemens Paulweber was the hero of the game, he scored the all-important attempt in the shootout. Kufstein achieved revenge against the defending champions from Upper Austria for their quarter-final exit last year.
Dániel Fekete, Head Coach of EHC Lustenauassesses the Dragons strongly after the quarter-final victory against the defending champions Gmunden, after four duels in the preliminary round, the opponents no longer have any secrets: “We know the style of play of HC Kufstein from the first four encounters. They practice physical ice hockey with a lot of offensive drive. We have to prepare well for this style of play in the semi-final series. With two wins against the reigning champions, the Kufsteiners are a tough test for our team. But we will We want to do everything we can to qualify for the final series on Saturday with a home win. In order to achieve this victory, all players have to be ready to give their all and start the game with a lot of commitment and concentration!”
Kufstein’s chairman Roland Luchner wants to fully challenge the favorite from the Ländle and his team: “We are really looking forward to the duel with Lustenau. Even if the season’s balance doesn’t speak for us, I am convinced that it will be a duel on equal terms. We will make it as difficult as possible for Lustenau, then we’ll see what comes out of it in the end!”
Semifinal 2 – Game 1: KSV Kangaroos vs. SC Samina Hohenems
Sat., February 21, 2026, 7:30 p.m., Kapfenberg town hall
The KSV Kangaroos fight in the semi-finals of the Austrian Ice Hockey League in the first match of the best-of-three series on Saturday in the Kapfenberg town hall SC Samina Hohenems. The two teams will duel in a playoff series for the fifth time in the fifth ÖEL season.
In the previous playoff comparisons held in the Champions Hockey League mode, the score is 2:2. In 2022, the Styrians won against Vorarlberg in the semi-finals with an overall score of 11:5 after the return leg. In 2023, the two clubs met again in the semi-finals, this time the Ibexes won 9-5 after two games.
In 2024, the Mürztalers and the ice skating club faced each other in the final. After a clear 4-1 away win, in which Kapfenberg led 3-0 after exactly two minutes and ten seconds, a 4-4 draw followed in the second leg in front of the previous ÖEL record crowd of 3,200 fans in the Kapfenberg town hall. The Kangaroos became champions of the Austrian Ice Hockey League for the first time with an overall score of 8:5.
Last year the two teams played against each other in the quarterfinals. After Kapfenberger’s 3-1 away win, the Ems team equalized the overall result in regular time with a 2-0 to 3-3 in the second leg in Böhlerstadt and prevailed in overtime with the goal to make it 3-0 in the overall score with 4-3. Hohenems has been in the final three times in a row since 2023 and has always had to be content with the runner-up title.
In the quarterfinals, Kapfenberger won the series against EHC Kundl 2-1. After a surprising 1:2 defeat against the Unterinntaler after a penalty shootout in the first match at home, the Styrians followed up with a 6:0 win away in Kundl. On Wednesday, player-coach Kris Reinthaler’s team secured their place in the semi-finals with a 5-2 home win.
SC Hohenems also had to play the full best-of-three distance against WEV. After a 5:1 at home, the Vorarlbergers narrowly lost 2:3 in Vienna. On Wednesday, head coach Martin Mallinger’s team defeated the Viennese 6:1 in the Rheinhalle Lustenau and was the last team to book the semi-final ticket.
Kapfenberg’s player-coach Kristof Reinthaler was relieved after the hard-fought win against EHC Kundl and is hoping for revenge against Vorarlberg: “Of course we are now happy that we still scored the goals and won the game. Now it’s on to the semi-finals. We have had Hohenems as an opponent in every season so far. We still remember the duel from last season very well and I think there is still a score to settle!”
Hohenems sports director Matthias Fritz knows that the time must now be used optimally for recovery in order to be able to take on the challenge of Kapfenberg: “After a hard-fought game against the tough Viennese team, there is hardly any time for regeneration, because the long away trip to Kapfenberg is already on Saturday. We hope that one or two sick players can return to the line up. An extremely difficult task awaits us against the East basic round winner, but we will face it with full concentration and commitment!”
Ö Ice Hockey League 2025/2026 – Playoff – Semifinals
Game 1:
EHC Lustenau vs. HC Kufstein
Sat., February 21, 2026, 5:30 p.m., Rheinhalle Lustenau – >> to the live stream
KSV Kangaroos vs. SC Hohenems
Sat., February 21, 2026, 7:30 p.m., Kapfenberg town hall – >> to the live stream
Game 2:
HC Kufstein vs. EHC Lustenau
Sat., February 28, 2026, 5:30 p.m., Kufstein Ice Arena
SC Hohenems vs. KSV Kangaroos
Sat., February 28, 2026, 6:30 p.m., Hohenems Ice Stadium
Game 3 (If necessary):
EHC Lustenau vs. HC Kufstein
Wed., March 4, 2026, Rheinhalle Lustenau
KSV Kangaroos vs. SC Hohenems
Wed., March 4, 2026, Kapfenberg town hall
www.eishockey.at, Pic: SC Hohenems
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