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Daniel Glira is being hunted by Mathias From. © JA / Wolfgang Jannach
Puster Valley in Klagenfurt: High effort, low return
What now, HC Falkensteiner Pustertal? Just like 48 hours earlier in the derby against HC Bozen, the Wolves put on a spirited performance on Monday evening against Klagenfurter AC, but once again without any tangible success. The reasons for the crisis are manifold.
05 January 2026
From: leo
They skate, they work hard, they show the necessary commitment – and yet the current HC Pustertal is nothing like the team at the start of the season. Even against league leaders Klagenfurt, Henry Bowlby and his teammates tried their best to do the right things. But because they lacked the spark (and a bit of luck with the puck) in attack and made too many individual errors in defense, they went home empty-handed. The Red Jackets prevailed 3-2 in front of 4250 fans.
The ice-cold home team capitalized on one of the aforementioned lapses after just 32 seconds, when Simeon Schwinger scored the early lead. Jaspers' team didn't let their heads drop; on the contrary, they caused the league leaders considerable problems with numerous fast breaks. However, their finishing proved to be a weakness that evening. As so often happens, the missed opportunities proved costly, as a shorthanded goal by Mathias From extended the visitors' lead to 2-0. Henry Bowlby, Pustertal's most noticeable offensive player along with Tommy Purdeller, brought a glimmer of hope back before the end of the first period.
Pustertal fights to the end
The fans were then treated to a gripping, exciting, and fast-paced game in which HCP goalie Eddie Pasquale became the main protagonist. Even though he conceded David Waschnig's beautifully executed goal to make it 1-3, he repeatedly frustrated his opponents with his lightning-fast reflexes. After some inconsistent performances recently, this was the hoped-for upward trend for the Puster Valley's talisman. His saves also gave his teammates hope, who finally pulled one back with four and a half minutes remaining thanks to Mikael Frycklund's rebound.
Eddie Pasquale delivered a strong performance. © JA / Wolfgang Jannach
In a dramatic final phase, the visitors threw everything forward – but the Carinthians allowed little more than shots from outside the danger zone. Pustertal thus left Klagenfurt empty-handed, despite a strong performance for much of the game. Next Sunday, when Salzburg visit Bruneck, the Wolves will be aiming not only to play well but also to pick up points again.
The highlights
| Early shock | Only 32 seconds had passed in the Heidi-Horten-Arena when wrestler Di Tomaso was outmaneuvered and Pasquale was beaten for the first time with a shot between the pads. |
| Puster Valley in bad luck | Despite conceding an early goal, the Wolves played on equal terms. They were very unlucky, however, when Purdeller's shot hit the post. To make matters worse, they then conceded a well-worked shorthanded goal by From in the 16th minute. |
| This gives hope | The long-awaited equalizer comes twelve seconds before the end of the first period. Andergassen lifts the puck from the blue line towards the goal, Bowlby plucks it out of the air and beats Vorauer with a backhand shot. |
| Pasquale holds | The final period begins with another defensive lapse by HCP, as Herburger skates in alone on Pasquale. He fails to convert, before Waschnig scores the 3-1 into the empty net after a superb assist from Kempe. |
| Is there anything else? | Pustertal, kept in the game by the outstanding Pasquale, cheered when Vorauer parried a Zanatta shot and Frycklund pounced on the rebound. However, they were unable to find an equalizer. |
Klagenfurter AC – HC Pustertal 3:2
KAC: Vorauer (Sicher); Teves-Nickl, Sablattnig-Maier, Unterweger-Simovic; Schwinger-Mursak-Petersen, Waschnig-Kempe-From, Herburger-van Ee-Fraser, Dobrovolny-Obersteiner-Hochegger.coach: Furey
HCP: Pasquale (Rabanser); Lauridsen-DiTomaso, Zanatta-Blum, Osmanski-Glira; Ierullo-Bardreau-Lipon, Rueschhoff-Ticar-Purdeller, Saracino-Andergassen-Bowlby, Mantinger-Frycklund-Lobis, Deluca.
coach: Jasper
Gates: 1:0 Schwinger (00:32), 2:0 From (15:35), 2:1 Bowlby (19:48), 3:1 Waschnig (32:06), 3:2 Frycklund (55:37)
Viewers: 4239
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The table
| SP | G | U | V | TV | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. EC Klagenfurt | 35 | 24 | 0 | 11 | 123:83 | 74 |
| 2. Graz99ers | 34 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 112:75 | 70 |
| 3. EC Salzburg | 35 | 23 | 0 | 12 | 115:71 | 66 |
| 4. HCB South Tyrol | 33 | 21 | 0 | 12 | 119:80 | 64 |
| 5. Olimpija Ljubljana | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 134:100 | 62 |
| 6. HC Pustertal | 34 | 19 | 0 | 15 | 118:96 | 57 |
| 7. Fehervar | 34 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 80:107 | 48 |
| 8. Vienna Capitals | 34 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 87:101 | 45 |
| 9. Linz | 34 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 110:112 | 44 |
| 10. EC Villach | 33 | 13 | 0 | 20 | 101:113 | 42 |
| 11. Ferencvarosi | 34 | 12 | 0 | 22 | 87:120 | 41 |
| 12. Vorarlberg | 33 | 10 | 0 | 23 | 78:135 | 31 |
| 13. HC Innsbruck | 35 | 8 | 0 | 27 | 84:155 | 22 |
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