The HCB Südtirol Alperia extended its lead at the top of the win2day ICE Hockey League standings on Sunday, overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat FTC-Telekom 4–3 in a penalty shootout. While Bozen solidified their position at the summit, the EC-KAC suffered a 6–1 defeat against the Steinbach Black Wings Linz, shaking up the upper tier of the standings.
Bozen Recovers from Early Deficit to Draw FTC-Telekom
FTC-Telekom stunned the home crowd in Bozen by grabbing a 2–0 lead within the opening 14 minutes. The response from the table leaders was swift and merciless. Bozen struck three times in a span of 4:10 minutes before the first intermission. Ian Ratcliffe got the hosts on the board at 15:00, Zackary Leslie leveled the score at 17:00, and Luca Frigo pushed the South Tyroleans ahead at 19:00.
Lindgren struck again right at the start of the second period to tie the game at 3–3 for FTC-Telekom. Neither side could break the deadlock through the remainder of regulation or the overtime period. In the ensuing shootout, Cole Schneider converted the decisive attempt to secure the extra point. With the victory, Bozen remains undefeated in regulation play through seven matches.
Linz Demolishes the KAC in a Four-Goal Middle Frame
The Steinbach Black Wings Linz dismantled the EC-KAC 6–1 at home. Following a tight first period that ended 1–1 courtesy of an early opener from Linz’s Emilio Romig and an equalizing power-play goal by the KAC’s Jan Drozg, the game unraveled for the visitors after the restart.
Linz struck twice within 28 seconds early in the second period through Lukas Erne and Oscar Maier. They quickly capitalized on disciplinary lapses from the Klagenfurt side, adding two more power-play goals before the second intermission, including a second tally from Romig and a strike by Niklas Würschl. Harald Neubauer added a final blow in the third period at 47:00. The rout leaves the KAC searching for answers following their second defeat, which compounds an earlier 4–0 shutout loss to Bozen.
South Tyrolean and Capital Gains Across the League
The HC Falkensteiner Pustertal provided the evening’s other dramatic South Tyrolean triumph, extending their winning streak to four games. For 52 minutes, zero goals were recorded against Hydro Fehérvár AV19 until Michael Cyr scored twice within 39 seconds for the visiting side. Pustertal responded in the dying moments of regulation, wiping out the deficit with two goals in 35 seconds. The equalizer arrived just 17 seconds before the final horn, setting the stage for Alan Lobis to notch the game-winner in overtime.
Trailing 2–1 after 25 minutes following goals from Milano’s Dante Cuglietta and Diego Kostner, Salzburg turned the tide with two goals in the middle frame and two more in the final period to finish 5–2. Mario Huber, Peter Schneider, Paul Hochkofler, Nathan Nienhuis, and Andrew Brooks all found the back of the net for the hosts.
In Villach, the Vienna Capitals took two points in a dramatic 4–3 thriller against the EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV. Senna Peeters scored twice for Vienna to answer Villach leads, and Jakob Lilja put the visitors ahead in the third period. Maximilian Rebernig struck with an extra skater for VSV with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. Nicholas Bailen then settled the contest with a power-play marker with 13 seconds left in the extra frame.
Closing out the Sunday slate, Olimpija Ljubljana rebounded in style by blanking the Pioneers Vorarlberg 8–0. Nicolai Meyer and Jan Urbas each scored twice, while goaltender Zan Us turned away 19 shots to record the shutout. The victory elevates Ljubljana back into the win column following a dominant opening frame that saw them establish a three-goal cushion inside 13 minutes.
