The Steinbach Black Wings Linz end the Christmas celebrations with a tough away match in Graz. On St. Stephen’s Day, the Upper Austrians are demanding second place in the table.
After the short celebratory break, things will get serious again for the Steinbach Black Wings Linz on Boxing Day tomorrow. For the people of Stahlstadt, the contemplation ends with the third comparison of the season with last year’s world record opponent from Graz. The current season couldn’t be more different for the two teams, because while the previous duels were extremely thin, there is a big hole in the table. Since the change from Harry Lange to the Canadian Dan Lacroix, the Styrians have assumed their supremacy at the top. With 18 wins, the Murstadt team is in second place, five points behind the KAC.
With 21 points from the last ten games, tomorrow’s hosts are also one of the strongest teams in recent memory. The enormous squad depth is the biggest asset, as eight cracks have more than 15 scorer points. With 32 direct goal involvements, including six goals, defender Nick Bailen leads the shooting ensemble. Josh Currie, Chris Collins and Paul Huber carry the front three forward lines with more than ten goals each. The well-rehearsed collective excels league-wide not only in five-on-five games, but also in outnumbered and outnumbered situations. With an efficiency of 24.72 percent, Graz scored 22 goals with a numerical advantage – the second most of all teams. However, the 99ers’ defense is even stronger. Goalkeeper Maxime Lagacé and his team in front have survived 86.9 percent of all outnumbered situations without conceding a goal. In total they only conceded 66 goals. The two previous meetings also left little room for celebration for the respective strikers. While the Linz team won 3-2 after extra time in the first leg, the Styrians won with the same result after 60 minutes at the last meeting.
Locker room update
The Steinbach Black Wings Linz probably have the toughest task waiting for them in the last away match of the 2025 calendar year. Brian Lebler and Co. have so far fallen far short of their potential, especially on foreign ice. The Upper Austrians also completed many empty kilometers last Sunday after they had scratched points in Hungary. After another slow start, head coach Philipp Lukas’s team showed their most dominant middle third to date with a comeback.
With 18:3 shots on goal, Henrik Neubauer and Brian Lebler equalized 0:2 and visibly inspired their team. The attack formation rotated through its traditional line up, which brought additional momentum. Nevertheless, the performance curve eventually dropped again and cost the Stahlstadters tenth place in the table. From now on, the Linzers are asked to fight even harder for every point in the last 16 rounds in the basic round. The Christmas holidays were good for personnel and gave the Upper Austrians back two important strengths. Rasmus Tirronen takes his place in goal again and Greg Moro is back in action as a cornerstone in defense after a month’s break.
The people of Linz will receive additional support on St. Stephen’s Day from their fan clubs in the Graz Bunker. After the tough fight against the 99ers, the Steinbach Black Wings Linz end the calendar year with two home games on December 28th. against Innsbruck and on December 30th. against Fehervar. Tickets for this are available online at tickets.blackwings.at and at the box office.
Graz99ers – Steinbach Black Wings Linz
📅 Basic round 32: Friday, December 26th, 5:30 p.m., Merkur Ice Stadium
📺 Live stream: sporteurope.tv
blackwings.at , Image: Black Wings Linz/Eisenbauer
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