After recent unsatisfactory results, the motto for the EC iDM Heat Pumps VSV in the 362nd Carinthian Derby tomorrow, Saturday (Heidi-Horten-Arena, start: 2:30 p.m., live on ORF1 and on Radio Kärnten Eishockey-Magazin) is clear: a derby win against the eternal rivals from Klagenfurt should be achieved and at the same time initiate the turnaround!
The initial situation and the Carinthian derby
One thing is certain: before a duel between the Eagles and the Red Jackets, even the starting position in the table loses its significance. When the Carinthian derby comes around, supposed balance of power is invalidated and statistics are only valid to a limited extent. And yet the numbers cannot be completely ignored, but they do provide additional motivation for the Eagles. The blue-whites are in eighth place in the table after 27 games this season, eleven wins and the same number of defeats, supplemented by one win after extra time and four overtime defeats. This results in a points account of 39 points and an almost equal goal difference of minus one – 89 goals scored and 90 goals conceded.
However, the VSV travels to Klagenfurt with heavy luggage: four defeats in a row and only one win from the last eight games have recently painted a less than encouraging picture. The initial situation with EC-KAC is completely different. The Red Jackets are at the top of the win2day ICE Hockey League with 61 points. 17 full wins, only five defeats in regular time as well as three successes and four defeats after extra time underline the consistency of the Klagenfurt team. With 105 goals scored, the KAC has the second-best offense in the league, and with only 72 goals conceded, it also has the third-strongest defense. The recent form also speaks for itself: Red-White emerged victorious from the last three league games and celebrated seven successes from the last eight encounters.
Negative derby balance
The Eagles also find little hope by looking at the history books. In 361 Carinthian derbies so far, the red jackets have won 193 times, 149 wins went to Villach, 19 games ended in a draw. The recent past reinforces this trend: the KAC won seven of the last ten duels, only three went to the VSV. The Blue and Whites’ record in the Heidi Horten Arena is particularly bleak. Villach has remained without a win in the last six derbies in the state capital. The last away win was on March 10, 2023, when it was still under head coach Rob Daum. The Adler’s Achilles heel in Klagenfurt is obviously the offensive: VSV only scored seven goals in these six games, an average of just 1.16 goals per game. The Red Jackets, on the other hand, were extremely accurate in front of their home crowd during the same period and averaged a whopping 4.5 goals per derby.
And yet, when red meets blue, every game starts at zero. Because the Carinthian derby has always followed its own, often unfathomable rules. The Eagles’ chance lies precisely in the seemingly clear distribution of roles. With courage, passion and the infamous “blue blood” of a derby, the EC VSV is always able to belie statistics – just like the convincing 5-3 home win on November 14, 2025, when the red jackets were just passengers for long stretches of the game. At that time, Blue and White not only won three points, but also set an exclamation mark in the direct duels by winning all three private duels (“fights”).
Probably two failures in the VSV camp
The Eagles will probably have to forgo two cracks. As the “Kronen Zeitung” reports, both Nick Hutchison and Gus van Nes are out of the derby.
EC-KAC – EC iDM heat pumps VSV
Saturday, December 27, 2025 | 2:30 p.m
Heidi Horten Arena
www.ecvsv.at, www.hockey-news.info, image: VSV/STEFAN
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