The first game after the international break takes the Pioneers Vorarlberg to Innsbruck, where the West derby against HC Innsbruck is on the agenda.
Second duel of the season
It is the second meeting between the two rivals this season. The Haie narrowly won the first derby in Feldkirch 3-2, thanks to a strong start with three quick goals. For both teams, points in a direct duel are of immense importance in order to maintain or ideally reduce the gap to the teams in front.
The best scorer for the Tyroleans is currently, unsurprisingly, former Pioneers player Steven Owre with 16 points (8G, 8A), while for the Vorarlbergers, Collin Adams leads the team’s internal statistics (10 points, 5G, 5A).
Two Pioneers players, Ramon Schnetzer and Oskar Maier, were in action with the Austrian national team, and the prestigious win against their neighbors from Germany will be particularly memorable. Speaking of memories: The Nygard cracks will happily look back on the last championship game before the short break, when record champions KAC were defeated in front of their own audience. Captain Kevin Macierzynski & Co want to build on their performance against top teams such as Salzburg and the aforementioned KAC. If you act in a similar way, points are also possible in the Tyrolean state capital.
Staff update
The loan contract with Aatu Aarnio expired with the international break. The Finnish defender has returned to his homeland. The Pioneers would like to thank the 25-year-old, who quickly integrated into the team and was valuable support. Aatu played a total of nine games in the Pioneers jersey.
There is good news from Aron Summer. After successful training on the ice, he is back in the lineup. However, Ivan Korecky will not yet be available for the game in Innsbruck and the home game against Linz. He is expected to start training on the ice again next week. As reported, Julian Metzler will be out for several weeks due to an upper body injury.
HC TIWAG Innsbruck – Pioneers Vorarlberg
Wednesday, November 12th, 2025, 7:15 p.m., TIWAG Arena
Live stream and also live on ORF Sport+
pioneers.hockey , Image: HCI/PAPA Productions
