Who will follow Fehervar and Salzburg to the semifinals?
The fifth quarter-final game day of the win2day ICE Hockey League is on the program on Friday. While Salzburg and Fehérvár have already qualified for the semi-finals, spusu Vienna Capitals and EC GRAND Immo VSV have the first chance to catch up. Both teams are leading 3-1 in the “best-of-seven” series and also have a home game. PULS 24 the game of the Capitals against EC-KAC live from 7:25 p.m.
EC GRAND Immo VSV – HK SZ Olimpija
EC GRAND Immo VSV has the first match puck against HK SZ Olimpija on Friday. After the defeat at the start, the Villachers prevailed in the following three games and are leading 3:1 in the “best-of-seven” series. At least seven goals were scored in all four games of the series, including the last meeting on Tuesday, which VSV won 5-2. Man of the match was Latvia’s Renars Krastenbergs with two goals and two assists. For the Olympic participant, it was the first postseason goals for the “Adler”. Villach have not lost a series in which they led 3-1 since the league was founded. For Olimpija it is the first playoff participation. It is still open whether VSV head coach Rob Daum can fall back on Tomi Karhunen and John Hughes, who were recently ill, on Friday. The two convalescents Chris Collins and Yannic Pilloni are still unable to work.
Vienna Capitals – EC-KAC
The spusu Vienna Capitals are also close to reaching the semi-finals. The people of the federal capital narrowly prevailed 3-2 in Klagenfurt on Tuesday and are 3-1 in the “best-of-seven” series. Free TV partner PULS 24 will be showing game five of the series against EC-KAC live from 7:25 p.m. The Capitals have held a 3-1 lead in a playoff series seven times so far, losing the fifth game on nearly half the occasions, three times. However, the Capitals have lost a series after a 3-1 win only once: in the 2010 semifinals against Linz, where they lost 3-4 after leading the series 3-0. Vienna defeat the Carinthians and thus advance to the semi-finals, for the first time since 2017 there is a title holder in the ICE who does not come from Klagenfurt or Bozen. Jakob Holzer, Rok Tičar, Johannes Bischofberger and Steven Strong will be missing from the KAC side. A decision will be made at short notice about the use of the recently injured Clemens Unterweger and Stefan Geier. Charles Dodero, who will paraphrase the next four games due to suspension, will be unavailable to the Capitals.
Photo: Martina Bednar