In the last game before the November international break, the Vienna Capitals will face EC iDM Heat Pumps VSV tomorrow. With a win, the Viennese could move within one point of seventh-placed Villach. The game in the STEFFL Arena starts at 5:30 p.m. ORF Sport + broadcasts live on linear TV, and the match can also be seen via live stream on ORF ON and sporteurope.tv.
The Vienna Capitals suffered their first defeat under interim head coach Fabian Scholz yesterday in Linz. The Viennese lost 1:4 against the Black Wings and had to admit defeat again after two wins in a row. In the strong first third, the Capitals even took the lead thanks to a goal from Jérémy Grégoire. The Canadian, who missed the start of the season due to injury, scored a goal in all three games in which he appeared. The 30-year-old’s linemates can also boast points streaks. Top scorer and captain Linden Vey scored in the last four games and recorded seven goals (4 goals + 3 assists). Mitch Hults scored points in the last three games and also collected seven points (1 goal + 6 assists).
The Viennese special teams also made a positive appearance. Both the power play and the shorthanded game rank third in the league comparison. For several players wearing the Caps jersey, tomorrow’s game will be a duel with the old club. Benjamin Lanzinger, son of VSV legend Günther Lanzinger, spent practically his entire career at VSV before moving to Vienna in the summer. Marco Richter also moved back to the federal capital in the summer after four seasons in Villach. Christof Kromp (son of VSV legend Wolfgang Kromp), Sam Antonitsch (grandson of Arno Antonitsch, founding member of the VSV ice hockey section) and Raphael Wolf also once wore the VSV jersey. Lorenz Lindner and Felix Koschek spent time with the Villach youth team. Whether Simon Bourque can take part tomorrow will only be decided on match day. Senna Peeters is still out injured.
While the Vienna Capitals will play their third game within five days tomorrow, the EC iDM Heat Pumps VSV were last in action last Saturday. In Innsbruck, head coach Tray Tuomie’s team had to admit defeat 1:2. The Villachers, who were temporarily in second place in the table, have slipped slightly recently. With 22 points after 14 games, the Eagles are in seventh place, four points ahead of the ninth-placed Caps. In the last four games, Villach suffered three defeats; the victory against FTC-Telekom was only secured after overtime. The last success after regular time came on October 12th when HCB Südtirol Alperia was defeated 6-3. Nikita Scherbak is Villach’s top scorer with 14 points (6 goals + 8 assists) from as many games. The Russian shares the top spot in the team’s top scorer rankings with Kevin Hancock, who also has six goals. While the special teams are a strength at the Vienna Capitals, they can at least be improved at the Villach team. The power play ranks eighth in the league comparison, the shorthanded game is by far the worst in the win2day ICE Hockey League with a success rate of only 66.67 percent.
Statement Benjamin Lanzinger, attacker of the Vienna Capitals
The VSV has its qualities on the offensive. For us it’s just a matter of playing our game for 60 minutes. We have to stick to our game plan and capitalize on our opportunities. I’m feeling a lot of anticipation before tomorrow’s game. It will be unusual to face my old colleagues as I have actually played in Villach all my life. The STEFFL Arena will be well attended again, I’m looking forward to it.
Important information for visitors to tomorrow’s game: Car park 2 of the Westfield Donau Zentrum will remain closed on match day. Since parking options around the STEFFL Arena are limited, we recommend traveling by public transport. The Kagran transport hub is within walking distance.
vienna-capitals.at , Image: Black Wings Linz/Eisenbauer
