The playoffs of the win2day ICE Hockey League will continue on Saturday, and the series between EC-KAC and Hydro Fehérvár AV19 will open on Sunday, after game one on Tuesday had to be canceled due to a medical emergency in the first third and the following game on Thursday did not take place. Game one of the best-of-7 series will now take place on Sunday in Klagenfurt.
The third game in the remaining three series will be played on Saturday. Defending champions EC Red Bull Salzburg and EC iDM Heat Pumps VSV are already under a lot of pressure. Both teams are 0-2 behind in their series. However, everything is balanced between HCB Südtirol Alperia and Olimpija Ljubljana. All games of the weekend can be seen live on Sporteurope.tv.
The quarterfinal series between EC-KAC and Hydro Fehérvár AV19 will continue as a best-of-seven series. Both teams and their players have expressed a clear desire to play the series in full as planned – as a sign of solidarity and support for Jordan Murray in his recovery phase. The kick-off will now take place on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. in Klagenfurt. All four duels of the season went to the KAC in the regular round, two of them only after extra time or a penalty shootout.
Salzburg against Pustertal under pressure
Defending champion Salzburg is already 0-2 behind in the series against Pustertal. The ten-time champion suffered narrow defeats both times: at the start with 2:3/OT, followed by a 1:2 defeat in Bruneck. Now they have to win in front of their home crowd on Saturday to avoid having four match pucks against them. The last time the Red Bulls were down 2-0 in a playoff series was in the 2021 semifinals against KAC. Game three was also lost and the series ultimately ended 1:4. It was the last season in which the Mozartstadt team did not become champions. Two more times – in the 2021 semi-final against Vienna and in the 2006 final against VSV – they also failed to turn a 0-2 deficit into a series success. But they have already achieved this feat twice: in the quarter-finals against Dornbirn in 2014 and in the final against Linz in 2010, the Red Bulls turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 series win.
Graz in front of the home crowd with a chance of making it 3-0
Regular season champion Graz is currently on course for the semi-finals. After a narrow 2:1/OT home win against Villach, a 5:1 away win followed on Thursday. This means the Styrians can make it 3-0 on Saturday and secure match pucks. So far this season they have won two of the three home games against the Adler. Last season, Graz also led 2-0 in the quarter-final series against Linz, but was ultimately eliminated 3-4.
Bolzano wants to present in front of its home audience
The series between Bolzano and Ljubljana started with two away wins. First, the Slovenians narrowly prevailed in Bolzano with 3:2/OT, followed by a 2:1 win for the South Tyroleans in Ljubljana. Incidentally, the quarter-final opening defeat was Bolzano’s first home defeat against Olimpija since September 26, 2023 and five home wins in a row.
win2day ICE Hockey League:
Sat, March 14, 2026:
Quarterfinals Game 3:
6:30 p.m.: Moser Medical Graz99ers – EC iDM heat pumps VSV
Referees: HRONSKY, SMETANA, Bedynek, Durmis
Standings in the best-of-7 series: 2-0
7:15 p.m.: EC Red Bull Salzburg – HC Falkensteiner Pustertal
Referees: HUBER A., STERNAT, Nothegger, Zacherl | LIVE on DAZN Italia
Standing in the best-of-7 series: 0:2
7:45 p.m.: HCB Südtirol Alperia – Olimpija Ljubljana
Referees: PIRAGIC, ZRNIC, Puff, Zgonc
Standing in the best-of-7 series: 1:1
Sun, March 15, 2026:
Quarterfinals Game 1:
6:00 p.m.: EC-KAC – Hydro Fehérvár AV19
Referees: KAINBERGER, OFNER, Jedlicka, Konc
The score in the best-of-7 series was 0-0
All games will be broadcast on streaming partner Sporteurope.tv.
ice.hockey , Image: EC Red Bull Salzburg
