Pustertal was soundly defeated. © I. Foppa / HC Pustertal

Graz's skeleton crew does what it wants with Pustertal

HC Falkensteiner Pustertal's performance against the Graz 99ers on Wednesday evening could be summed up in one word: lifeless. While the defeat didn't hurt their league position, it still dampened the spirits of the fans in attendance.

28 January 2026

From the Intercable Arena

HC Pustertal had three reasons to approach the game with confidence. First, the Intercable Arena had recently proven to be an impregnable fortress, boasting four consecutive victories. Second, their convincing 3-0 win in Fehervar last Saturday continued their upward trend. Third, Graz was missing seven regular players. Despite these circumstances, the Wolves suffered an inexplicable 1-7 thrashing.

The reasons for this defeat lie in the Wolves' attitude. From the first minute, they lacked bite, passion, and commitment – ​​practically everything. It almost seemed as if Pustertal had underestimated their severely depleted opponents. Up front, they rarely managed two consecutive passes, and in defense, they failed to put any pressure on the opposition. The result was ample open space, which the 99ers consistently exploited. To make matters worse, Pustertal's rock, goaltender Eddie Pasquale, had a disastrous day and was substituted after allowing five goals. A save percentage of 71 percent spoke volumes.

Helpless wolves

However, the truth is that the home side lacked the necessary luck that evening: at 1-3, both Tommy Purdeller and Greg Di Tomaso hit the post. Had one of those shots found the back of the net, the game might have taken a different turn. But Raphael Andergassen and his teammates can't rest on their laurels – the Wolves themselves know that.

When the Styrians scored to make it 5-1 in the 26th minute, HCP effectively gave up. The game petered out because Graz lacked the will and Pustertal couldn't find the net. The Black and Yellows now have no choice but to analyze their mistakes, put the game behind them as quickly as possible, and launch a fresh attack in 48 hours against Villacher SV (7:45 pm). At the same time, HC Bozen didn't have a chance in Linz either.

HC Pustertal – Graz99ers 1:7

HCP: Pasquale (Rabanser); Zanatta-Blum, Lauridsen-DiTomaso, Osmanski-Almquist, Glira; Bowlby-Bardreau-Lobis, Rueschhoff-Ticar-Purdeller, Ierullo-Frycklund-Saracino, Mantinger-Andergassen-Deluca.
Trainer: Jasper

G99: Lagace (Wieser); Kotkansalo-Reiner, Koch-Zündel, Stapelfeldt-Braun; Roy-Collins-Feldner, Huber-Haudum-Harnisch, Kainz-Schiechl-Ganahl, Lippitsch-Moosbrugger-Krainz.
Trainer: The cross

Gates: 0:1 Roy (10:06), 0:2 Zündel (11:26), 0:3 Harnisch (17:35), 1:3 Deluca (19:35), 1:4 Huber (23:28), 1:5 Reiner (25:49), 1:6 Huber (34:59), 1:7 Haudum (55:11)

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