HC Bozen aims to celebrate again on New Year's Day. © Vanna Antonello

The toughest test before the big derby

HC Pustertal and HC Bozen kick off the year with dress rehearsals for the big South Tyrolean derby. While the team from the provincial capital aims to continue their winning streak in what is currently their toughest test, the Wolves are looking to recover from a setback.

31 December 2025

From: never

It will likely be just a brief midnight kickoff for the protagonists of the ICE Hockey League: The puck will be flying across the ice again on Thursday evening – and in a real treat, no less. HC Bozen will be visiting EC KAC in Klagenfurt and aim to kick off the new year with a coup. Thanks to the 5-0 rout of the Pioneers Vorarlberg And although the fourth-placed Foxes may travel to Carinthia with their chests puffed out after three consecutive wins, the upcoming opponent's series is something else.

The six-time ICEHL champions have racked up eight wins in their last ten games, suffering only one regulation-time loss. That loss came last Tuesday against Olimpija Ljubljana (2-3), their first defeat after 60 minutes since November 26th. For HC Bern, this away game will therefore be the toughest possible dress rehearsal for next Saturday's derby against HC Pustertal. On the bright side, their record against EC KAC this season is even, with one win (5-1) and one loss (3-5).

Wolves want to show their teeth again

What does HC Pustertal hope for in 2026? A win on New Year's Day would certainly be a good start. Four days after the bitter 1:4 defeat against the Graz99ers The Wolves will host Pioneers Vorarlberg. The derby against HC Bozen is naturally also on their minds, so the struggling team from Vorarlberg comes at just the right time as a rebuilding opponent.

HC Pustertal hosts Pioneers Vorarlberg on New Year's Day. © HC Pustertal/Iwan Foppa

“We’re going to try and strike back,” Greg Di Tomaso announced ahead of the game. “We suffered a tough defeat in Graz, but we’ve learned from it.” From now on, the ICE Hockey League clubs will be looking to build as much momentum as possible to get the most out of the two remaining months of the regular season. The match against Vorarlberg is based on the adage: third time’s the charm. The sixth-placed HCP won both of the previous encounters this season.

Eight home games in one month for the Wolves

But beware: Despite only one win in their last five games, the Pioneers could prove to be a stumbling block. After all, since the end of November, they have regularly snatched three points from supposedly stronger opponents – including against Villach, Ljubljana, Fehervar, and Linz. The support of the fans is expected to be their trump card, as it will be for the rest of the month. The Puster Valley team will play a total of eight games at the Intercable Arena in January. "It feels great at home; the fans are always behind us. We want to start a winning streak here," said Nick Saracino.

ICE Hockey League – Thursday's games

Red Bull Salzburg – Black Wings Linz (16.30 p.m.)
Villacher SV – HC Innsbruck (17.00)
Graz99ers – Ferencvaros Budapest (17.30 p.m.)
Vienna Capitals – Olimpija Ljubljana (17.30 p.m.)
HC Pustertal – Pioneers Vorarlberg (18.00)
EC KAC – HC Bozen (19.15)