The day before yesterday in Villach there was a clear 2:6 defeat against VSV. The Sharks were in the game for a long time before the Eagles set the course for victory in the third period. “It’s not the first time we’ve suddenly given up a game. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that we have a lot of young players. But there comes a point in time when the boys have to learn. The season is already pretty long. It’s not fun,” he said Head Coach Ryan Kinasewich, and also held the Haie’s top performers accountable: “Villach’s imports delivered, ours didn’t, that was the difference.” The coach was full of praise for goalie Jakob Brandner: “He played great and kept us in the game for a long time.” Brandner had almost 60 shots on goal. On the other hand, the Haie “only” recorded 27 shots on goal.
There is already an opportunity for HCI to initiate a trend reversal today. Record champions KAC comes to the TIWAG Arena and probably has bad memories of the shark tank. In a memorable game at the end of November, the Haie defeated Klagenfurt 9:6 after a quick 3-0 deficit. It was one of two wins for the HCI in the last 16 games. On the Sharks side, Matt Wilkins and Steven Owre were the men of the game with four points each. But the victory came at a high price. Owre was injured on an open-ice hit, played again in the following game in Bolzano, but had to retire after another check on his knee. Surgery and the end of the season followed.
The sharks have a lot planned for today. “We demanded everything from them last time, so we know what we have to prepare for. We want to play physical, simple and clear, but today we need every single person in the team to work hard for the Sharks and leave their best on the ice,” says Kinasewich.
The KAC comes to the TIWAG Arena as league leaders, but recently suffered two narrow defeats. There was a 2-3 defeat in Ljubljana. The day before yesterday the Red Jackets lost at home to Bozen in the top game of the round with 1:2 after overtime.
HC TIWAG Innsbruck-Die Haie – EC-KAC
Saturday, January 3rd, 2026, 5:30 p.m. – TIWAG Arena
hcinnsbruck.at , Image: HCI / PAPA Productions
