2024-02-13 21:22:57
The ten-team field for the ICE Ice Hockey League play-offs has been determined since Tuesday. The Vienna Capitals missed promotion to the knockout phase for the first time in 20 years, the Pioneers Vorarlberg secured the last place in the pre-play-off. League leaders KAC won the match once morest pursuers Fehervar 5-2 and got their ticket to the next Champions Hockey League.
With a 3-0 defeat at Olimpija Ljubljana, the Capitals lost their last, theoretical chance of advancing. This marks the end of the league’s longest play-off series. The Caps were last not promoted in the 2003/04 season and were always involved in the decisive championship phase in the following 19 years. The season ends for the Caps and the bottom-placed Graz99ers and Asiago at the end of the regular season on February 23rd. The Pioneers, on the other hand, achieved promotion for the first time in their second season, although they lost 2:5 to Black Wing Linz.
At the top, the KAC won the duel with Fehervar following being behind twice. The Klagenfurt team’s match winner in the sold-out hall was Jan Mursak, who turned the game around with a double strike within 75 seconds (32nd, 34th/PP) and set up Nik Petersen’s 4-2 (45th/PP). The KAC qualified for the CHL for the fifth time.
In the tight race for the top 6 and direct promotion to the quarter-finals, Pustertal was the only loser of the day. The Wolves lost a 4-0 lead at home in the derby once morest HCB Südtirol and were defeated 4-5 following extra time. Innsbruck easily beat Graz 4-1 thanks to an early brace from Senna Peeters (7th/PP, 9th). VSV made up for a 1-2 deficit in the final third in Asiago and won 4-2.
Before the remaining four games of the regular season, South Tyrol is in fourth place with 73 points, closely followed by Linz (72), VSV and Innsbruck (71 each). Pustertal, which only has three games left, holds 69 points.
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