The Steinbach Black Wings Linz secured their seventh consecutive home victory on Sunday, defeating Olimpija Ljubljana 4-2 in a win2day ICE Hockey League match at the Linz AG Eisarena. The game, played on November 23, 2025, saw Ljubljana, the league’s then-current leader, fall to the Black Wings.
The win came less than 48 hours after a challenging 0-4 defeat for Linz against Salzburg, setting the stage for a difficult matchup against the top-ranked Slovenian team. Olimpija Ljubljana held a narrow one-point lead over the Pustertal Wolves, though they had played one more game. Ljubljana had already achieved 14 wins in the current season.
Despite recent losses to Pustertal and the KAC, Olimpija Ljubljana had rebounded with a victory against Villach prior to facing the Black Wings. A key component of Ljubljana’s success has been their power play, boasting a 33.33% efficiency – the highest in the league. They also demonstrated stability in penalty killing, achieving an 83.33% success rate, just behind Graz99ers.
The match took place at 3:30 PM local time, an earlier start than usual. The win2day ICE Hockey League is currently in its 2025/26 season, featuring 13 multinational teams competing in a double round-robin format of 48 games per team. The top six teams after the regular season automatically qualify for the quarterfinals, while teams ranked seventh through tenth will participate in “Pre-Playoffs.”
Highlights of the game between the Steinbach Black Wings Linz and Olimpija Ljubljana are available online.
A rematch between the two teams is scheduled for February 22, 2026, at 3:30 PM.
