For the Vienna Capitals, the 2026 calendar year begins with a home game against Olimpija Ljubljana. Tomorrow, New Year’s Day, the Viennese want to start the new year the same way the old one ended, namely with a victory. In the two previous season duels between the Caps and Olimpija, the home team came off the ice successfully. The game in the STEFFL Arena starts at 5:30 p.m. Sporteurope.tv will broadcast live as usual.
The Vienna Capitals ended the 2025 calendar year with a 3-2 win after overtime at FTC-Telekom. Despite the success, head coach Kevin Constantine’s team remained in eleventh place with 39 points. However, seventh place, occupied by Hydro Fehérvár AV19, is only three points away. The Hungarians also played one more game than the Donaustädters. In the last five matches, the Caps were able to collect eight points, which puts the Viennese in sixth place in the form table. Tomorrow’s opponent from the Slovenian capital scored six points in the same period.
An important factor in the Kagraners’ offensive game is new signing Scott Kosmachuk. The 31-year-old Canadian played a big part in the away win in Budapest yesterday with a goal and an assist. After six appearances for the Capitals, the attacker has seven points (2 goals + 5 assists). However, the man of the game yesterday was captain Linden Vey, who was directly involved in all three goals. The Canadian scored the important 2-2 equalizer himself and prepared the other two. The 34-year-old Caps top scorer has as many points after 30 appearances (8 goals + 22 assists). The coaching team will have the same staff available tomorrow as they did during yesterday’s 3-2 win. Jérémy Grégoire will miss the Viennese team for weeks due to an upper body injury sustained on Sunday. Senna Peeters, Marco Richter and Sebastian Wraneschitz are missing due to long-term injuries.
Olimpija Ljubljana comes to the federal capital with two wins against EC-KAC (3:2) and Hydro Fehérvár AV19 (5:0). Before their last two successes, the Slovenians lost three games in a row against HCB Südtirol Alperia (1:4), Pioneers Vorarlberg (2:5) and HC Falkensteiner Pustertal (1:4). The Dragons are third in the table with 59 points. With 127 goals scored, head coach Ben Cooper’s team is the goal machine in the win2day ICE Hockey League. The Slovenians’ power play is the best in the entire league with a success rate of 26.96 percent. The Capitals’ power play ranks second with an effectiveness of 23.6 percent. The teams are also close when it comes to penalty killing.
Olimpija’s outnumbered game is successful at 82.46 percent, the Viennese game at 81.82 percent. In the league comparison, the two teams are in fourth and fifth place respectively. Ex-Caps striker Nicolai Meyer, the current top scorer in the win2day ICE Hockey League, is coming to the STEFFL Arena tomorrow in the Dragons jersey. The Dane scored 44 points (17 goals + 27 assists) in 32 games this season. Defender TJ Brennan is the top defender in the league with 39 points (14 goals + 25 assists). The previous two meetings between Caps and Olimpija both went to the home team. At the start of the season on September 12th, the Slovenians won in the Hala Tivoli, and on October 3rd the Caps inflicted their first defeat on the then unbeaten league leaders with a 3-1 score.
Statement Fabian Scholz, assistant coach of the Vienna Capitals
We have a tough game ahead of us tomorrow. Games on January 1st have a bit of their own character, as it is the first game of the new year and everyone wants to get off to a good start. We are preparing for a tough fight, want to hold our own and force our game on them. Goalkeeping is important at this stage of the season, both teams have very good goalies. Special teams will be crucial tomorrow. They have the best power play in the league, we have the second best. The respective outnumbered games give nothing to each other. It will be a very tough game five against five, in the end the special teams will probably decide.
vienna-capitals.at , Image: Manfred Szieber
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