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Eddie Pasquale was unbeatable once again. © HC Pustertal / I. Foppa
Pusterer Madness: Now the final door is open
HC Falkensteiner Pustertal's winning streak continued on Thursday evening. In front of an electrifying crowd, the Wolves defeated Olimpija Ljubljana for the third time in a row. The Black and Yellows' hopes of reaching the finals are now more concrete than ever.
April 02, 2026
From the Intercable Arena
From:
Leo Holzknecht
HC Pustertal is delivering top-notch performances in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL) playoffs with clockwork precision. Weak spells? The Wolves don't know the meaning of the word. Slip-ups? A foreign concept. After six consecutive wins across multiple series, HCP put on another brilliant display on Thursday. Ljubljana fought hard once again, but overall appeared bewildered. It was as if the Slovenians and their coaching staff had run out of ideas. The third straight 3-0 victory was the logical consequence.
Attack wins games, defense wins championships. This oft-used sports adage has clearly been instilled in Pustertal coach Jason Jaspers' men. Because the way the Black and Yellows defended this evening was once again impressive. Daniel Glira and his teammates were tight to their men, threw themselves selflessly into shots, and won the majority of their duels. And so, after 180 minutes of play, Laibach is still waiting for its first goal in this series.
The Puster bulwark holds
This defensive solidity is all the more impressive considering that Ljubljana boasted the league's best offense in the regular season, scoring 177 goals. Furthermore, the Slovenian power play has yet to convert a single one of its 14 opportunities in the series.
Matthias Mantinger giving his all.
From a Slovenian perspective, the culprit was quickly identified: Eddie Pasquale. In superb form for weeks, the Canadian goalkeeper proved to be an impenetrable wall once again this evening. Given his indomitable performance, the game was, in a sense, over after just eight seconds. That's how early Austin Rueschhoff scored the opening goal, which they held until the final whistle.
Like the Graz 99ers, who defeated Fehervar 4-0 on Thursday, Pustertal has the chance to seal the deal on Sunday. The game starts at 18 p.m. at the Hala Tivoli.
The highlights
| Lightning start | Immediately after the opening face-off, Rueschhoff breaks away, beats Olimpija defenseman Kirichenko, and lifts the puck into the top corner for a 1-0 lead. Just eight seconds have been played. |
| Pure euphoria | What's going on here? Not even five minutes have passed when Purdeller, who is powering his way down the left wing, shakes off an opponent and puts the ball into the net with a clinical finish. |
| Almost 3-0 | Both teams had two power plays in the second period, but no goals were scored. The best chance fell to the breakaway Lobis, but his shot lacked precision. |
| Die Entscheidung | Pasquale makes a miraculous save against Meyer in a 3-on-4 situation, before Bardreau scores the third goal at the other end. He fires a one-timer into the right corner after a pass from Lipon. |
HC Pustertal – Olimpija Ljubjana 3-0
HCP: Pasquale (Rabanser); Almquist-Blum, Lauridsen-DiTomaso, Zanatta-Osmanski, Glira; Saracino-Bardreau-Rueschhoff, Bowlby-Ticar-Purdeller, Lobis-Frycklund-Lipon, Mantinger-Andergassen-Deluca, Ierullocoach: Jasper
HKO: Tokarski (Kolin); Cosic-Brennan, Halbert-Kirichenko, MacWilliam-Gregorc, Crnovic; Meyer-Boychuk-Mehle, Mahkovec-Drozg-Sabolic, Simsic-Quince-Kapel, Pance-Bericic-Bukovec
coach: cooper
Gates: 1:0 Rueschhoff (0.08), 2:0 Purdeller (4.44), 3:0 Bardreau (57.42)
Viewers: 3104
Status in the series: 3:0
ICE Hockey League, semifinals:
Graz 99ers – AV Fehervar 4:0Goals: 1:0 Huber (7.51), 2:0 Huber (19.27), 3:0 Currie (40.48), 4:0 Conley (56.31)
Audience: 4126
Score in the series: 3:0
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