There was a real goal festival in the Austrian Ice Hockey League on Saturday with 41 direct hits in five games: HC Kufstein won the district derby against EHC Kundl 4-3 after a penalty shootout. SC Hohenems defeated the Dornbirn Bulldogs 12-3 in the next district derby. League leaders EHC Lustenau won against the Wattens Penguins 5-0. In the East Division, Kapfenberg narrowly won 5-4 at HDK Maribor. ATSE Graz celebrated a 3-2 away win after a shootout against WEV am Heumarkt.
They crossed for the third time this season HC Kufstein and local rivals EHC customer on Saturday in the West Division. After the district derby, which the Dragons won 4-2 away last Friday, there was a back-to-back duel in front of over 930 fans in the Kufstein ice arena. Kundl started the game in a flash, Sebastian Schild made it 1-0 (2nd) after an unsuccessful trip by HCK goalie Thomas Pfarrmaier from close range. After a quick attack, Valentin Ploner made it 2-0 two minutes later with a well-placed shot (4th). Two minutes later, the hosts found the quick answer and got into the match: After a quick counterattack, Stefan Reiter completed a solo effort to make it 1-2 (6th). When the Dragons were able to establish themselves briefly in the attacking third, Valentin Hammerle maneuvered the puck over the line to equalize 2-2 (11th). After the turbulent initial phase, the game calmed down as the first section continued.
The derby was also a hotly contested affair in the second third. The guests were in the lead again: Nepomuk Bodner sent the puck in from the left faceoff circle to make it 3-2 for Kundl (28th). The Dragons fought back again: After a dream pass, Stefan Reiter ran alone to Kundl goalie Johann Bauer and equalized to make it 3-3 (38th). The final section started heatedly, emotions ran high. After that, a crime thriller developed and crunch time was announced. Kufstein had two chances to take the lead on a power play. That didn’t work, the hot derby went into overtime and ultimately into the showdown called a penalty shootout. The Finnish newcomer Aleksi Airaksinen was the only crack to convert and ensured the Dragons’ narrow 4-3 win. The Kufsteiners have overtaken their local rivals from Kundl in the table and are now third behind Lustenau and Hohenems.
EHC Lustenau once again leaves Wattens Penguins no chance
League leaders EHC Lustenau expected on Saturday in the West Division WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins in the Rheinhalle in front of over 750 fans for the back-to-back duel. Last Saturday, the Lions celebrated a 10-0 win in the open-air duel in the Watten Alpine Stadium. The Lions also soon made things clear in the first third of the home game. After a quick attack from the left and a cross pass, Lucas Haberl made it 1-0 after just over a minute (2nd). Almost three minutes later, Timo Demuth scored with a powerful shot from the slot to make it 2-0 (5th). After a short break, Dominik Oberscheider made it 3-0 in the first period (16th) after a nice combination.
After a relaxed middle period without any further goals, the league leaders followed up in the final third: Christopher D’Alvise scored with a well-placed shot after a vehement attack to make it 4-0 (47th). Just under nine minutes before the end it was 5-0. Lucas Haberl scored in a power play in the second attempt to make it the final score (51′). Lustenau keeper Lukas Reihs managed a shutout and the Lions celebrated their eighth win in their eighth game.
SC Hohenems celebrates derby victory against Dornbirner Bulldogs
The third back-to-back duel in the West Division was the district derby on Saturday SC Samina Hohenems against the Dornbirner EC Bulldogs. Just a week after the Steinbocks’ 3-1 win against the Messestadters, the two district rivals met again in an open-air match in the Hohenems ice stadium. Lukas Fritz scored early from the slot to give the home team a 1-0 lead (6th). After a commotion, Kai Fässler was ideal and scored from close range to make it 2-0 (8th). The Bulldogs used their first power play late in the first third: After a shot, Nevio Dhargyal poked the exposed target over the line to make it 1-2 (18th) and created tension in the Herrenried.
However, things didn’t stay exciting for long. Hohenems started the second period like a surprise and scored goals every minute: Christian Haidinger used a rebound to make it 3-1 (22nd). Just under a minute later, Lukas Fritz made it 4-1 (23rd) after a nice attack from close range. Patrick Spannring made it 5-1 from the slot after a nice Tic Tac Toe in the majority (24th). Kai Fässler was there again a minute later, the score was 6:1 (25th). Patrick Spannring scored a power play from close range to make it 7-1 (28th). Benjamin Kyllönen scored another advantage to make it 8:1 (30th) and a little later made it 9:1 for Ems (33rd). After a bully on the right side, Maid Meduseljac refueled and reduced the score to 2:9 for Dornbirn (38th). Then Danny Madlener shot from the slot and made it 3:9 (40th). One second before the end of the period, Christian Haidinger also scored from the slot to make it 10:3 (40th), which was the tenth goal in the middle period. Benjamin Kyllönen increased the score to 11:3 in the final third (45th). Julian Payr made the final score 12:3 (59′) with a wonderful shot into the left corner of the cross.
East Division:
KSV Kangaroos narrowly prevail at HDK Maribor
The HDK Maribor met in the East Division on Saturday in the Ledna dvorana Maribor for the second time in the current season KSV Kangaroos. In their first meeting, the Foxes were able to fully challenge the Kangaroos in Kapfenberg in mid-October and kept the game open for a long time, but in the end they narrowly lost 2-3. This time too, the two teams had an exchange of blows that was worth seeing. After an attack from the left, Nejc Bizjak scored beautifully to give the hosts a 1-0 lead (9th). Just under a minute later, Rok Frešer increased the lead to 2-0 with a powerful shot from the left face-off circle (10th). The Kapfenbergers worked their way into the game: Pierre Graf scored in a power play from close range to make it 1:2 (18th). 15 seconds before the first siren, Michael Malle shot from the slot and scored to equalize 2-2 for Kapfenberg (20th).
In the middle section, the Slovenian Draustadt team were ahead again: Ian Fingušt made it 3-2 after a dream combination (26th). The Mürztal team quickly equalized almost two minutes later: Pierre Graf scored from close range to make it 3-3 (28th). Just before halftime, the game was over for KSV crack Lukas Telsnig after a board check with a five-minute penalty plus game time. Nevertheless, the Kangaroos managed to take the lead a little later: Lukas Draschkowitz scored with a shorthander to make it 4:3 (31st). In the final section, Ian Fingušt drove vehemently in front of keeper Felix Nußbacher’s goal and made it 4-4 (43′). A little later, the Kapfenberg team found the right answer again: Stefan Trost scored from close range to take the lead 5-4 (49′). In the end, Maribor pulled goalie Jaka Gajšek and the equalizer was no longer possible. Kapfenberg celebrated their second win in the second duel against Maribor.
ATSE Graz beats the WEV away in the shootout
For the second time this season, they dueled in the East Division on Saturday Vienna Ice Skating Club and the ATSE Graz for points. After Graz’s narrow 3-1 win at home, the Viennese team were looking for revenge at Heumarkt. In front of the wonderful backdrop of the Vienna Konzerthaus, another exciting and balanced game developed. Stephan Rossmann made it 1-0 for WEV early in the first third after an advance from the slot (8th).
ATSE Graz got off to a better start in the second third: Mathias Werkl equalized to 1-1 (23rd) after a quick attack from close range. The federal capital team countered extremely quickly: just 38 seconds after the equalizer, Stefan Nador made it 2-1 with his backhand after a Graz loss in front of his own goal (23rd). Almost two minutes later, Mario Petrovitz gave WEV goalie Moritz Merkader no chance from close range and the score was 2-2 (25th). Both teams then had advantage opportunities, but neither team managed to score another goal in the second period. The match remained hotly contested in the final third, and crunch time began early at Heumarkt. The classic ultimately went into overtime, in which WEV had a 4-3 advantage, but the hosts were unable to score the winning goal. The match had to be decided in a shootout: ATSE crack Mathias Werkl was the only shooter to score, the Graz team won 3-2 and remained third in the table.
Ö Ice Hockey League – Division West
HC Kufstein vs. EHC Kundl 4:3 nP (2:2.1:1.0:0.0:0.1:0)
Sat., November 22, 2025, 5:30 p.m., Kufstein Ice Arena
Goal scorers HC Kufstein: Stefan Reiter (05:34 min., 37:39 min.), Valentin Hammerle (10:10 min.), Aleksi Airaksinen (65:00 min./decisive penalty)
Goal scorers EHC Kundl: Sebastian Schild (01:41 min.), Valentin Ploner (03:39 min.), Nepomuk Bodner (27:31 min.)
EHC Lustenau vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins 5:0 (3:0,0:0,2:0)
Sat., November 22, 2025, 5:30 p.m., Rheinhalle Lustenau
Goal scorers EHC Lustenau: Lucas Haberl (01:16 min., 50:44 min./PP1), Timo Demuth (04:07 min.), Dominik Oberscheider (15:02 min./PP1), Christopher D’Alvise (46:40 min.)
SC Samina Hohenems vs. Dornbirner EC Bulldogs 12:3 (2:1.8:2.2:0)
Sat., November 22, 2025, 5:30 p.m., Hohenems Ice Stadium
Goal scorers SC Hohenems: Lukas Fritz (05:29 mins, 22:10 mins), Kai Fässler (07:32 mins, 24:08 mins), Christian Haidinger (21:14 mins, 39:59 mins), Patrick Spannring (23:04 mins/PP1, 27:46 mins/PP1), Benjamin Kyllönen (29:33 mins/PP1, 32:10 Min., 44:52 Min.), Julian Payr (58:34 Min.)
Goal scorers Dornbirn Bulldogs: Nevio Dhargyal (17:42 mins/PP1), Maid Meduseljac (37:21 mins), Danny Madlener (39:28 mins)
Ö Ice Hockey League – East Division
HDK Maribor vs. KSV Kangaroos 4:5 (2:2,1:2,1:1)
Sat., November 22, 2025, 6:30 p.m., Ledna dvorana Maribor
Goal scorers HDK Maribor: Nejc Bizjak (08:49 mins), Rok Frešer (09:58 mins/PP1), Ian Fingušt (25:33 mins, 42:41 mins)
Goal scorers KSV Kangaroos: Pierre Graf (17:52 mins/PP1, 27:38 mins), Michael Malle (19:45 mins), Lukas Draschkowitz (30:45 mins/SH1), Stefan Trost (48:41 mins)
Vienna Ice Skating Club vs. ATSE Graz 2:3 nP (1:0.1:2.0:0.0:0.0:1)
Sat., November 22, 2025, 7:00 p.m., WEV Arena, Heumarkt
Goalscorers Vienna Ice Skating Club: Stephan Rossmann (07:49 mins), Stefan Nador (22:51 mins)
Goal scorers ATSE Graz: Mathias Werkl (22:13 mins, 65:00 mins/decisive penalty), Mario Petrovitz (24:21 mins)
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