Leader of the table HC Innsbruck held its ground 5:2 in the top game of the 36th ICE Hockey League round against VSV after a two-goal deficit. Defending champions Salzburg defeated Linz 4-0. KAC celebrated narrow victories after extra time against Ljubljana (4:3) and Graz against the Vienna Capitals (3:2). Trailing light Pioneers Vorarlberg defeated Pustertal 2:1. The only away win for second-placed Bozen was 6-1 in Asiago.
Fourth-placed VSV led 2-0 in Innsbruck until the middle of the second period after Philipp Lindner (2nd) and Chris Collins (20th) scored. The Innsbruckers turned the game in front of 2500 fans. They first managed to equalize through Anders Krogsgaard (32′) and Braeden Shaw (45′). Daniel Leavens (57th) and Adam Helewka (59th) made the late turn with empty net hits. Shaw scored the 5-2 final score for the fifth win in a row a second before the final siren into the orphaned VSV goal. Salzburg, third in the table, set the course for victory against Linz after a goalless opening period with a 3-0 middle section. The duel was finally decided with goal number four by Paul Huber in the power play (42nd). There was also no goal in Graz in the first third. After that, the 99ers traded 2-2 with the Caps without a winner in regulation time. In overtime, Zintis Zusevics made Grazer cheer a few seconds before the end. Luca Lessio’s KAC winning goal against Ljubljana also came in the final seconds of overtime. Before that, the Klagenfurt team had struggled against the latecomer after falling behind twice.
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