Eddie Pasquale and HC Pustertal celebrated a narrow victory. © I. Foppa / HC Pustertal

Pustertal defeats Laibach – and yet frustration reigns.

HC Falkensteiner Pustertal has already secured direct qualification for the playoffs in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). With a win against Olimpija Ljubljana, the Wolves could even have dreamed of a top-four finish. Ultimately, however, they only managed two points on Friday evening.

February 27, 2026

From the Intercable Arena

With two matchdays remaining in the regular season, HC Pustertal still had a chance to secure home-ice advantage for the playoffs. Although this was theoretical given their five-point deficit to HC Bolzano, Cole Bardreau and his teammates were determined to leave no stone unturned. A victory against their direct rivals in the standings, Ljubljana, was essential, and Jaspers' team also needed their arch-rivals from the provincial capital to slip up. One variable did indeed occur. (HCB lost the top match against Klagenfurter AC), The other one, however, did not: Pustertal only beat Laibach 3-2 after extra time.

As has often been the case in recent weeks, the home team got off to a slow start. They lacked pace, intensity, and commitment. As a result, the Slovenians repeatedly got to the puck first. Coach Jason Jaspers clearly made the right adjustments in his halftime talk, because after going down 0-1, the black and yellow team completely dominated the second period. However, the Slovenian club managed to limit the damage.

Avoidable punishment leads to compensation

The numerous penalties against the Slovenians – eight in total – ultimately proved decisive. This was despite the Wolves' less-than-stellar power play. Once again, it was Tommy Purdeller who put the Wolves on the path to victory. His 17th goal equaled his tally from the previous year. However, it wasn't enough for a complete win, as Austin Rueschhoff protested a foul, earning himself a four-minute penalty, which Ljubljana capitalized on. Jon Blum's stunning overtime goal, despite the missed opportunity, sparked wild celebrations in the packed Intercable Arena.

In their final match of the regular season, the South Tyroleans will be aiming to overtake Ljubljana for fifth place – although this would only have statistical significance. A single point against Villacher SV would be enough to achieve this (5:30 pm).

HC Pustertal – Olimpija Ljubljana 3:2 aet

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

HKO: Tokarski (Gal Hebar); Cosic-Brennan, Bohinc-Gregorc, MacWilliam-Crnovic, Tian Hebar; Meyer-Boychuk-Kapel, Sabolic-Petan-Mahkovec, Polei-Quince-Simsic, Pance-Bericic-Bukovec, Mehle.
coach: cooper

Gates: 0:1 Pance (6.49), 1:1 Ticar (20.35), 2:1 Purdeller (49.46), 2:2 Polei (57.12), 3:2 Blum (60.42)

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