The Foxes clinched first place

First the direct playoff qualification, then the Champions League ticket and now the victory in the second round - things couldn't be going better for HC Bozen at the moment. On Thursday the Foxes won 2-1 away at KAC and can sit back and relax before the final pick-round game day. While the other teams are still vying for the best possible playoff position, the people from Bolzano who are free to play at the end can think about who they want to choose as their quarter-final opponents. Into the playoffs with record numbers With the hard-fought but not undeserved victory over the champions, Anton Bernard & Co. have achieved an absolute novelty: they have never been first in the playoffs in their seven years in the league. The HCB started the fifth season once in second place (in the 2013/14 championship season), once in fourth place (2015/16) and twice in sixth place (2016/17 and 2018/19). The white-reds even had to go through the purgatory of the qualification round twice.

But that's not all the records: The HCB won 30 of its 48 games this season, the resulting winning percentage of around 62 percent is the highest the Füchse have ever recorded in the EBEL.

The game between Klagenfurt and Bozen was hard-fought and completely even. © Kiss

The HCB tackled the 68th cross-competition duel between the Austrian record champions and the one from Italy with the best line-up, but the KAC was missing several key players, such as Nick Petersen, Matt Neal and Johannes Bischofberger. The game initially began with both teams cautiously testing each other. The first high-caliber player from Bolzano was Colton Hargrove, who failed to put the puck in the goal in a one-on-one with the Swedish 2013 world champion and long-time NHL goalie Jhons Enroth. On the other side, Thomas Hundertpound did better a few seconds before the first break: he gave Leland Irving the disadvantage for the first time. At this point, Hargrove served the visitors' first 2-minute penalty. Hargrove and Robertson turn the tables The 27-year-old Texan in the white and red dress should also be the center of attention in the second third - but this time with a big grin on his face. In the 32nd minute he was happy about the 1-1 equalizer. In the power play, the disc came to Hargrove via Patrick Wierchioch and Domenic Alberga, whose skate directed it into the goal.

As a result, Bozen remained slightly superior on the field and, as in its last appearances, launched its attacks from an extremely stable defense. Dennis Robertson completed one of these counterattacks in the 48th minute to make it 2-1. The defender was able to advance unobserved on the left wing and was then brilliantly put in the spotlight by Dante Hannoun. Klagenfurter AC – HCB Südtirol Alperia 1:2 KAC: Enroth (Madlener); Hansson-Würschl, Harand-Kernberger, Comrie-Unterweger; Manuel Geier-Koch-Ticar, Ganahl-Hundredpfund-Haudum, Stefan Geier-Obersteiner-Kozek, Witting-Liivik-Sticha

HSBC: Irving (Fazio); Wierchioch-Tauferer, Robertson-Daly, Flemming-Marchetti, Glira; Frigo-Arniel-Insam, Giliati-Catenacci-Bardaro, Miceli-Bernard-Frank, Hargrove-Alberga-Hannoun, Deluca Coach: Ireland

Gates: 1-0 Thomas Hundredpound (19.30), 1-1 Colton Hargrove (31.50) The penultimate intermediate round game day: Moser Medical Graz99ers – spusu Vienna Capitals 4:4 (not finished yet) Goals: 1:0 Moderer (11.24), 2:0 Ograjensek (12.19), 2:1 Holzapfel (14.30), 2:2 Wukovits (16.41), 3:2 Reichenberg (19.56), 3:3 Holzapfel (28.50), 4:3 Oberkofler (36.13), 4:4 Vause (46.02) Audience: 2.222

Hydro Fehervar AV 19 – HC Orli Znojmo 4:0 Goals: 1:0 Sarauer (10.50), 2:0 Yogan (19.59), 3:0 Erdely (42.35), 4:0 Campbell (54.06) Audience: 2.650

Dornbirn Bulldogs – EC Panaceo VSV 4:0 Goals: 1:0 Fröwis (1.43), 2:0 Sointu (17.26), 3:0 Macierzynski (18.36), 4:0 Romig (47.00) Audience: 1.780

HC TWK Innsbruck – EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz 2:2 (not finished yet) Goals: 1:0 Spurgeon (5.59), 2:0 Broda (9.34), 2:1 Fejes (11.48), 2:2 Fejes (38.59) Audience: 2.000

The Pick Round table

The Qualification Round table

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. HCB South Tyrol	12	46:25	30
2. Graz99ers	12	35:28	25
3. Fehervar	11	33:16	24
4. EC Salzburg	11	43:33	23
5. Olimpija Ljubljana	12	31:30	21
6. HC Pustertal	14	50:49	21
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The Foxes clinched first place

This has never happened before: HCB Südtirol Alperia will start the playoffs as the first-place team. On the penultimate round match day, the 2018 champions did not stop at the reigning champions from Klagenfurt.

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