The KSV kangaroos have to go to Tyrol! – Hockey-News.info
Pure excitement before the grand finale of the Ö Eishockey Liga. The Wattens Penguins play the first leg against the Kapfenberg Kangaroos in Innsbruck on Sunday. Who creates a good starting position for the second leg?
And suddenly there were only two. The WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins and Kapfenberg SV are playing for the championship title in the Austrian ice hockey league. The Penguins lead into the playoff as the best Tyrolean team and qualified there with victories over ATSE Graz (7:0) and 1. EHC Althofen – after a thriller with overtime in the second leg and the overall score of 5:4 for the final. The Kapfenberg first eliminated ESC Steindorf in the quarter-finals. In the semifinals, the Styrians surprised SC Hohenems, who had always won the title this season, and advanced to the final with a 11:5 overall result. The thrilling home game in Leoben was won by the kangaroos 7:4, away at the Herrenriedstadion, Kapfenberg keeper Oliver Zirngast pulled the nerves of the Steinbocks with a strong performance, the Mürztaler acted efficiently and hardened in front of the opposing goal.
Both teams had the right thriller in the playoff and thus the experience of how to fight their way back into the match in tricky situations. After the 3-0 home win against Althofen in the second leg, the Penguins had to accept a 3-3 overall score after around 21 minutes. The Tyroleans then rallied – supported by the strong support of their goalie René Huber – and came back into the match, which was only decided in the Tyroleans’ overtime. After a clear 7:2 away win in Steindorf in the second leg, the kangaroos delivered a memorable ice hockey evening in the quarterfinals, in which the Kapfenbergers, despite a 5:7 defeat, still prevailed with an overall score of 12:9, although the Carinthians twice came within a hit. After the catastrophic first third in Leoben and nerves fluttering – the series against Steindorf threatened to tip over after a quick 0:4 – the Styrians recovered in the second half and fought their way back into the game.
Kangaroos are eager for the finale
Kapfenberg’s player coach Kris Reinthaler is happy about his kangaroo’s successful playoff ice hockey game so far: “We are overjoyed to have reached the final. That was really hard work. Even the quarterfinals against Steindorf wasn’t easy, they’re a top team. Now Hohenems in the semifinals, a team that was unbeaten before, also a really good team.” Reinthaler explains his team’s run of success as follows: “We weren’t considered favorites in the playoffs, that gave us wings to really to step on the gas. We are a close-knit team, a team that has been playing together for many years, with a few exceptions. My team has been successful in several leagues so far, but it is very gratifying that we have made another step forward in this league and are also successful at a higher level up to the final. I hope that we can now go one step further in the final series.”
He wants to analyze Wattens’ opponents in more detail before the start of the final: “I can’t say much about Wattens yet, I’ve only heard from other players and coaches that they work very hard and also play physical. I’ll watch more videos, like Watten’s actual appearance, how they act. In any case, we will prepare ourselves so that we are ready for our best ice hockey at the weekend!”
Wattens would like to celebrate an ice hockey festival in Innsbruck
Wattens head coach Jaroslav Betka took a closer look at the statistics before the final duel and came to the following conclusion: “According to my statistics and opponent analysis, Kapfenberg is better than us in the majority game. In five against five, however, we are very difficult to defeat. That’s why our bigger task is to stay away from the penalty box and to play very disciplined. You don’t win games in the penalty box. We try to force the opponent to make mistakes with powerful pressing and to take advantage of the resulting opportunities.”
The Slovakian coach sees the Styrians as favorites, but knows how strong his own team is: “Of course Kapfenberg is a slight favourite, it’s not for nothing that they eliminated the western dominator Hohenems. But if we can repeat the performance we’ve shown all season, we can beat Kapfenberg. But for this we need a lot of support from all Tyrolean fans, so my appeal is to come to the TIWAG Arena on Sunday, cheer us on for victory and let’s celebrate a Tyrolean ice hockey festival together!”
Sports director Michael Tauber, who played four games as a striker in November, is also satisfied with the performance in the Austrian ice hockey league for the Tyroleans: “Before the season, I don’t think many experts were counting on us. But thanks to the excellent work, especially in the tactical area, by our neo-coach Jaro Betka, we got stronger from game to game. Our strength lies in the fact that, despite defeats, we always find our way back to our game and then have the necessary victories as a result. We were always able to cope well with surveys and absences due to illness. New integrated players, including many youngsters such as Nico Burkhart, Fabian Frischmann, Paul Krammer, Tobias Fender and Moritz Geisler, quickly confirmed themselves as full-fledged players. If we are complete, as it currently looks for Sunday, we can put four strong lines on the ice. The cohesion and character in the team are certainly exemplary. I am proud of this newly assembled team!”
The first final will be broadcast live by Online Sport
Ö Ice Hockey League – Playoff Finals
Final first leg:
WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins vs. Kapfenberg SV Eishockeyclub
Sun., March 13, 2022, 5:00 p.m. TIWAG-Arena – in the live stream of Online Sport
Final second leg:
Kapfenberg SV Eishockeyclub vs. WSG Swarovski Wattens Penguins
Sat., March 19, 2022, 7:00 p.m., Leoben ice rink
www.eishockey.at, picture: EVZ/Mayerl
![](https://hockey-news.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Hockey-News_Logo_weiss_klein-5.png)