Videos
Eddie Pasquale delivered another strong performance. © I. Foppa / HC Pustertal
Not pretty, but efficient: Pustertal stays on top
HC Falkensteiner Pustertal got off to a shaky start in their first game after the Olympic break. However, as the game progressed, the black and yellow team found their rhythm and ultimately secured a well-deserved victory against AV Fehervar.
February 20, 2026
From: leo
If HC Pustertal had a bogey team since their promotion to the ICEHL, it was Fehervar, as evidenced by their mere twelve wins in 30 games. However, Jaspers' team has turned the tide of this rivalry this season. With a goal differential of 10:1, Ivan Deluca and his teammates have collected all nine possible points. The South Tyroleans continued this winning streak on Friday evening, securing a 4-2 victory in front of their home fans.
Nearly three weeks after their 2-7 thrashing at the hands of HC Bozen, HCP, with its six Olympic players, initially fell far short – especially defensively. The manner in which the goals were conceded was extremely frustrating. Both the first and second goals lacked pressure on the opponent. Offensively, the Wolves struggled to generate much either. Was this related to the once again mixed forward lines? The fact is: for the umpteenth time this season, coach Jason Jaspers opted for new combinations whose chemistry left much to be desired.
That the Wolves nevertheless emerged victorious was thanks to a resurgence in the final period – and also to their weak opponents. Just last week, the Hungarians, bolstered by three former HCP players, had ended a seven-game losing streak. This was evident in the Intercable Arena, as the underdogs began to falter the moment HCP upped the tempo. However, it's also true that both the 2-2 and 3-2 goals were well-executed. Once again, Henry Bowlby and Cole Bardreau proved to be the match-winners.
With this narrow victory, the Wolves fulfilled their duty and maintained their chance of securing home-ice advantage for the playoffs. With four games remaining, the gap to the... HC Bozen also won on Friday HC Pustertal is in fourth place with five points. Olimpija Ljubljana is currently ranked between them. Their next match is on Sunday with an away game against Red Bull Salzburg (15 p.m.).
The highlights
| Horror start | The fans hadn't even settled in yet – and the puck was already ringing: Stipsicz fired from the blue line, Zanatta was asleep, Erdely thanked him and pushed the stray puck over the line. |
| Purdeller's 16th trick | Pustertal grew stronger by the minute and were rewarded shortly before the end of the period. Blum assisted Purdeller, who wasted no time and beat Reijola with a glove shot. |
| Erdely again | The Wolves had everything under control – until Erdely scored a second goal in the 29th minute. Once again, a large gap opened up in the Puster Valley slot, which the Fehervar captain ruthlessly exploited. |
| Tongue-slapping fun | While Pustertal was on the power play, a moment of brilliance from Bowlby led to the equalizer. The American lifted the puck into the top corner from close range. Shortly afterward, Bardreau scored directly into the top corner after a pass from Lipon. |
| That's it | Rueschhoff receives an unnecessary penalty with 30 seconds remaining, Fehervar pulls the goalie, but the equalizer eludes them. Instead, Blum scores into the empty net. |
HC Pustertal – AV Fehervar 4:2
HCP: Pasquale (Rabanser); Zanatta-Glira, Blum-Almquist, Lauridsen-DiTomaso, Osmanski; Saracino-Frycklund-Purdeller, Lobis-Bardreau-Lipon, Bowlby-Ticar-Rueschhoff, Mantinger-Andergassen-Deluca.Trainer: Jasper
OASI: Reijola (Dominik Horvath); Stipsicz-Messner, Andersen-Campbell, Kiss-Stajnoch, Donat Horvath; Erdely-Richards-Gerlach, Cheek-Hari-Kuralt, Archibald-Kulmala-Terbocs, Ambrus-Nemeth-Mihaly.
Trainer: Dent
Gates: 0:1 Erdely (00.21), 1:1 Purdeller (18.46), 1:2 Erdely (28.45), 2:2 Bowlby (42.56), 3:2 Bardreau (48.15), 4:2 Blum (59.35)
Viewers: 2517
ICE Hockey League:
Black Wings Linz – Vienna Capitals 1:4Goals: 1:0 Oschgan (14.51), 1:1 Gazzola (17.56), 1:2 Bourque (27.35), 1:3 Franklin (42.50), 1:4 Souch (58.20)
Audience: 4865
Red Bull Salzburg – Villacher SV 3:4 on penalties
Goals: 1-0 Schneider (3:04), 2-0 Nienhuis (6:12), 2-1 Teasdale (6:57), 3-1 Michael Raffl (28:04), 3-2 Helewka (44:49), 3-3 Hancock (50:49); decisive penalty: Scherbak
Audience: 3400
Klagenfurter AC – Olimpija Ljubljana 2-0
Goals: 1-0 From (52.34), 2-0 Teves (59.25)
Audience: 4203
Pioneers Vorarlberg – Ferencvaros Budapest 2:4
Goals: 1:0 Roehl (14.17), 1:1 Tammela (21.13), 1:2 Kestila (36.58), 2:2 Erne (44.45), 2:3 Tammela (49.13), 2:4 Tammela (58.50)
Audience: 1249
HC Bozen – Graz 99ers 4:0
Goals: 1-0 Misley (5.34), 2-0 McClure (18.36), 3-0 Gennaro (46.58), 4-0 Frigo (47.50)
Audience: 3390
| SP | G | U | V | TV | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. EC Klagenfurt | 44 | 31 | 0 | 13 | 155:103 | 94 |
| 2. Graz99ers | 44 | 30 | 0 | 14 | 149:97 | 90 |
| 3. EC Salzburg | 45 | 29 | 0 | 16 | 151:100 | 85 |
| 4. HCB South Tyrol | 44 | 27 | 0 | 17 | 156:115 | 83 |
| 5. Olimpija Ljubljana | 45 | 28 | 0 | 17 | 169:130 | 80 |
| 6. HC Pustertal | 44 | 26 | 0 | 18 | 149:122 | 78 |
| 7. Vienna Capitals | 45 | 21 | 0 | 24 | 117:131 | 64 |
| 8. EC Villach | 45 | 20 | 0 | 25 | 145:152 | 60 |
| 9. Linz | 45 | 21 | 0 | 24 | 137:143 | 58 |
| 10. Fehervar | 44 | 18 | 0 | 26 | 103:141 | 57 |
| 11. Ferencvarosi | 45 | 16 | 0 | 29 | 120:165 | 53 |
| 12. Vorarlberg | 44 | 13 | 0 | 31 | 103:167 | 39 |
| 13. HC Innsbruck | 44 | 9 | 0 | 35 | 105:193 | 26 |
Edit Profile
You have to by registering.to use the comment function.
Comments (0)