The Vienna Capitals are writing a little ice hockey fairytale

The Klagenfurt team lost 2-3 away to the weakened Vienna Capitals on Tuesday in the seventh and decisive game of the “best-of-seven” series of the quarter-finals. Villacher SV had already secured the penultimate ticket for the semi-finals, and the Carinthians are in the semi-finals for the first time in six years after a 4-1 win against Olimpija Ljubljana. The home advantage remains a good omen for decisive games. There have now been “Game Seven” 16 times in the league’s history and the hosts had the better end 13 times. Also in the fight for the title are Red Bull Salzburg (4-0 against Znojmo) and Fehervar (4-0 against Pustertal), who had already won their series confidently and can therefore go into the semi-finals well rested. The Bulls will face Vienna on Thursday, the Hungarians will face VSV. Caps without 9 regulars The Caps had to do without nine regulars due to numerous corona cases and injury-related absences. It was positive that goalie Bernhard Starkbaum and defender Matt Prapavessis were able to clear themselves after positive rapid antigen tests thanks to negative PCR tests a few hours before the game. That was a very important factor, as Starkbaum was subsequently a very strong support and also held on to victory with a parade at the finish. Luke Moncada let the Viennese celebrate for the first time after just over six minutes. After a double strike from Lukas Haudum (9th) and Thomas Koch (27th), the game seemed to turn in the expected direction. But the Caps resisted the defeat and took control again. First James Sheppard (43') equalized, then Matt Bradley (51') caused ecstasy in the hall. The KAC attack in the finish was no longer crowned with success, which is why the Viennese once again play a role in the semi-finals. They prevailed against Klagenfurt in a seventh game for the second time since the 2005 final. They have already forgotten four home defeats against the KAC in the current season. The Viennese secured their triumph without head coach Dave Barr and assistant coach Christian Dolezal, who also could not be present due to corona. Philipp Ullrich (head coach of the Vienna Capitals Silver farm team) and Peter Schweda (sports director of the Vienna Capitals Silver and head of the Vienna Capitals Hockey Academy) were responsible for them behind the board. Villach eliminates Ljubljana The Villach team also won the third playoff since the league was founded in the summer of 2000, which was played in front of their own audience. This had previously been the case in the quarter-finals against Vienna in 2003 (2-0) and in the semi-finals against Innsbruck in 2006 (6-4). John Hughes (4th) and Scott Kosmachuk (8th) laid the foundation for the victory with a double strike early on. Since Daniel Murphy (8th) answered straight away, there was a lot of tension. Towards the end of the middle third, Rick Schofield restored the old two-goal lead on a power play. The Canadian had already made a positive impression with an assist. Anton Karlsson scored the final point with an empty-net goal (60th) shortly before the end. The VSV triumph prevented a strong turnaround for the Slovenians, who had only forced the deciding game with two previous wins. The ICE semi-final series: Fehervar – Pustertal 4:0 Salzburg – Znojmo 4:0 Vienna – Klagenfurt 4:3 Villach – Ljubljana 4:3 The ICE semi-finals: Salzburg – Vienna Villach – Fehervar Game dates: 24th, 26th, 28th, 30.3., possibly 1.4., 3.4., 5.5.

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. Klagenfurt	47	183:101	102
2. Fehervar	46	146:126	89
3. Salzburg	46	142:107	87
4. HCB South Tyrol	46	137:125	76
5. Linz	46	146:116	75
6. Villach	46	155:136	74
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The Vienna Capitals are writing a little ice hockey fairytale

The KAC no longer has a chance of successfully defending its title in the ICE Hockey League. A Viennese team that defied all odds is to blame for this.

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