Daniel Glira and the Bruneck team put the league leaders from Klagenfurt under immense pressure. © HCP/Iwan Foppa

Even the best: This HC Pustertal can beat them all!

Twelve rivals are taking on HC Pustertal in the ICE Hockey League – and since Wednesday evening, they all share one painful experience: The Wolves bite everyone! Now, even the only previously undefeated opponent had to suffer.

21 January 2026

From the Intercable Arena in Bruneck

With several weeks remaining in the 2025/26 ICE Hockey League regular season, HC Falkensteiner Pustertal has already defeated every opponent in the league at least once. On Wednesday evening, they edged out Klagenfurter AC 3-2, thus completing their impressive run. The league leaders, playing without seven injured regulars, had won their last five games.

The Bruneck hockey team thrilled the 2.527 spectators – including many from Carinthia – with a spirited, passionate, and technically brilliant performance, securing their fourth consecutive home victory. This HCP match certainly had the feel of a movie – and not just during the 60 minutes, but even before the game began. The puck was ceremonially dropped by German TV celebrities Robert and Carmen Geiss, also known as "the Geissens."

A commemorative photo with the celebrity visit: “HCP host” Patrick Kirchler and Magdalena Profanter with Robert Geiss (2nd from left) and Carmen Geiss (4th from left).

The glamorous couple looked somewhat out of place on the slick ice, but even the most seasoned Bruneck stadium-goers managed to elicit smiles. Above all, however, they were delighted by the brilliant performance of their favorites in black and yellow. They shone with an incredibly compact and disciplined defensive display. Klagenfurt only really found a gap at the 2-2 mark – otherwise, the Puster Valley defense held firm.

Proof of Bruneck's newfound stability: In their last four victories, HCP conceded just four goals. There are two reasons for this: Coach Jason Jaspers has been playing a much deeper defense in front of their own net for several weeks now, making it nearly impossible for them to penetrate the slot. And then there's goalie Eddie Pasquale, who has worked his way out of a slump and is currently a decisive factor in every game.

With this victory, Pustertal closes the gap to fourth-placed HC Bozen. who only won in overtime against bottom-of-the-table Innsbruck on Wednesday and now has only a five-point lead. The two South Tyrolean ICE rivals continue their campaigns on Friday: Pustertal travels to Vienna, while Bolzano faces Innsbruck again, this time at home.

HC Falkensteiner Pustertal – Klagenfurter AC 3:2

HCP: Pasquale (Rabanser); Di Tomaso-Lauridsen, Blum-Zanatta, Osmanski-Glira, Almquist; Bowlby-Frycklund-Lobis, Purdeller-Ticar-Ierullo, Lipon-Rueschoff-Saracino, Deluca-Andergassen-Mantinger.
Coach: Jaspers

KAC: Dahm (Vorauer); Nickl-Unterweger, Preiml-Sablattnig, Böhs-Simovic; Petersen-Mursak-Schwinger, From-Kempe-Waschnig, Fraser-Van Ee-Herburger, Hochegger-Obersteiner-Dobrovolny.
Coach: Furey

Gates: 1:0 Luca Zanatta (16.57), 1:1 Mathias From (26.17), 2:1 Matthias Mantinger (43.59), 2:2 Matt Fraser (48.36), 3:2 Henry Bowlby (56.53)

Viewers: 2.527

The other Wednesday results:

HC Innsbruck – HC Bozen 4:5 aet (click here for the report)
Goals: 1-0 Wilkins (5.53), 1-1 Samuelsson (13.15), 1-2 Gennaro (20.28), 1-3 McClure (35.19), 2-3 Wilkins (40.44), 3-3 Wilkins (45.30), 3-4 Mantenuto (46.27), 4-4 Wilkins (54.58), 4-5 McClure (63.39)
Audience: 1.800

Ferencváros TC – EC Salzburg 4:2
Goals: 0:1 Schneider (16.25), 1:1 Antonen (19.02), 2:1 Green (28.53), 3:1 Mihalik (39.08), 3:2 Thaler (46.00), 4:2 Antonen (59.59)
Audience: 1.505