HC Eppan celebrated a victory to conclude the season. © Jan Marc Zublasing

The IHL playoff pairings have been set.

The final matchday of the Italian Hockey League (IHL) intermediate round took place on Saturday evening, determining the final standings. The playoff pairings are now set.

February 21, 2026

From: leo

SV Kaltern had already secured first place in the Master Round before their final match against HC Aosta. Therefore, this game was merely a statistical formality. The 280 fans in attendance witnessed the team's exhaustion, as the "Pikes" lost 1-5. In the playoffs, the reigning champions will now face Feltre. Interestingly, all five of the Gladiators' goals were scored by foreign players. 18-year-old Ukrainian Adrian Movchan scored twice, while Dmitri Nimenko, Nick Nardella, and Savelii Sukhytskyi also found the net. Matteo Cappuccio scored the equalizer for Kaltern.

Unlike Kaltern, HC Eppan had a lot riding on the final matchday, as the Pirates could secure home-ice advantage with a five-goal victory against Pergine. And that's exactly what they did: Leo Messner and his teammates won 6-1. They will now face the Trentino team in the playoffs. On Saturday evening, Jagger Williamson became the match-winner with three goals and two assists.

Holidays for Brixen and Toblach

For Falcons Brixen and HC 3 Zinnen Dolomites, the season ended on Saturday evening, as they finished in the last two places in the Qualification Round. Brixen lost 2-9 in Valpellice, while the Eisbären were defeated 3-6 by the Fassa Falcons.

The IHL quarterfinals begin on February 28th and, like the semifinals, will be played in a best-of-five format. Only in the finals will four wins be needed to win the series. The other two playoff matchups are between HC Aosta and the Fassa Falcons, and Varese and Alleghe.

Italian Hockey League:

Master round

HC Eppan – Pergine 6:1
Goals: 1:0 Williamson (8.58), 2:0 Williamson (22.14), 3:0 Engl (24.26), 3:1 Gasperetti (27.55), 4:1 Williamson (28.12), 5:1 Messner (45.05), 6:1 Radin (45.38)
Audience: 395

Varese – Alleghe 3:2 aet
Goals: 1:0 Borghi (33.33), 2:0 Ghiglione (35.31), 2:1 Zardini Lacedelli (47.04), 2:2 Isiguzo (58.14), 3:2 Schina (61.45)
Audience: 1100

SV Kaltern – HC Aosta 1:5
Goals: 0:1 Sukhytskyi (24.04), 1:1 Cappuccio (33.50), 1:2 Movchan (38.42), 1:3 Nimenko (44.10), 1:4 Movchan (55.30), 1:5 Nardella (57.33)
Audience: 280


Qualification Round

Valpellice – Falcons Brixen 9:2
Goals: 0:1 Oberhuber (6.14), 1:1 Salvai (8.24), 2:1 Vaccarino (8.47), 3:1 Long (28.47), 4:1 Savolainen (29.42), 5:1 Liubimov (32.51), 6:1 Pozzi (40.53), 6:2 Rinnetmäki (48.39), 7:2 Long (50.09), 8:2 Savolainen (50.31), 9:2 Long (59.45)
Audience: 820

Fiemme – Feltre 4:3
Goals: 1:0 Moberg (6.39), 2:0 Willleit (33.43), 3:0 Vanzetta (35.56), 4:0 Odorizzi (44.33), 4:1 Zampieri (46.57), 4:2 Mraz (53.28), 4:3 Zampieri (55.57)
Audience: 415

Fassa Falcons – HC 3 Zinnen Dolomites 6:3
Goals: 1:0 Salo (12.28), 2:0 Salo (14.19), 2:1 Tomi (22.10), 2:2 Alverà (22.30), 2:3 Majul (26.38), 3:3 Salo (32.24), 4:3 Salo (32.43), 5:3 Deluca (38.32), 6:3 Mikhnov (52.20)
Audience: 520