The KAC took the lead in the table for the first time this season on Saturday with a win in the big game of the ICE Hockey League against the Black Wings Linz. The record champions from Klagenfurt won 4:2 (2:0, 2:2, 0:0) at home and are one point ahead of defending champions Salzburg and Fehervar. The “Bulls” lost after extra time at the Pioneers Vorarlberg.
The top duo have only played 34 games, Fehervar and fourth-placed Linzer, who are nine points behind first place, have already played 35. HC Innsbruck improved to fifth place with a 4-3 win after extra time at Asiago. Thanks to a 7-1 win over bottom team Graz99ers, VSV made it into the top six. HCB Südtirol is tied for seventh place on points due to a 1:4 home defeat against the eighth-placed Pustertal Wölfe. There was no sense of achievement for the eleventh-placed Vienna Capitals, who lost 3-6 to the ninth-placed Olimpija Ljubljana in front of their own crowd. The match winner for the KAC was Nick Petersen with two goals and an assist. The Canadian was involved in the creation of the 1-0 by Paul Postma was involved (4th), a little later the Carinthians made it 2-0 through Simeon Schwinger (7th). In the middle third, Petersen scored the goals to make the final score 3:1 (27th) and 4:2 (32nd/power play). Matthew Mackenzie (26th/power play) and Emilio Romig (29th) were successful for Linz. The Black Wings suffered their fifth defeat in the last six games and lost touch with the top trio. The KAC won for the fourth time in a row and has always been able to score points in the last twelve games. Trembling victories for Vorarlberg and InnsbruckThe Salzburg team saved themselves late to make it 2-2 thanks to a double strike from Drake Rymsha (53rd) and Tyler Lewington (54th). Overtime, in which Guus van Nes (63./PP) became the match winner for Vorarlberg. Innsbruck also only declared themselves winners in extra time. In the guest appearance at Asiago, Corey Mackin scored the decisive goal just eight seconds after the restart. It was a happy ending after a 3-0 lead had been given away. In Villach’s resounding victory, there were six different scorers on the guests’ side, only Elias Wallenta was able to score a brace. The Caps gave up a 2-1 lead against Ljubljana after the first period. The Slovenians turned things around with four goals in the second third. After this defeat, the Caps are now twelve points behind the tenth-placed Pioneers or a place in the pre-play-offs with one game less.
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