In the fifth round of the win2day ICE Hockey League, the KAC and the Graz 99ers split 2:4.

The KAC started the game poisonously, Sablattnig tested Graz goalie Gunnarsson for the first time in the 3rd minute. In the following minutes, only the Carinthians were in charge, with Bischofberger, among other things, coming to a good finish.

After ten minutes these efforts are rewarded: Fraser scores the lead after a pass from Hundredpound. With the deficit, the Graz team also wakes up, Holzer equalizes, and that’s how we go into the first third break.

99ers turn it up

The Graz 99ers start better from this, first Roy runs towards the goal alone, but fails. A strong shot from the backcourt then just grazes the bar – the puck finally ends up in the net and Huber turns the game around.

As a result, the Carinthians had a few opportunities to equalize, but the Styrians switched quickly and Kernberger, who had just served a penalty and skated back onto the ice, increased the score to 3-1 without a guard.

Grazer merciless, KAC too ineffective

In the final third it is also the Klagenfurt team who make the game – hope arises in the 54th minute when Schwinger scores the next goal.

But the 99ers are merciless that evening, just a few seconds later it is 4:2, Bailey restores the old lead. It stays that way, Graz remains unbeaten against the KAC and continues its run.

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“That was a real slap in the face.”

Philipp Lukas didn’t beat around the bush.

The head coach of the Black Wings Linz is called upon to act as a crisis manager early in the season. The steel city team is at the bottom of the table in the win2day ICE Hockey League after two 0:5 defeats in Bozen and against KAC (match report >>>).

“Every game counts, even if we are just starting out. Our performances are not good enough,” says Brian Lebler. In the first two games, the captain was one of the active players in an otherwise completely harmless Linz offense, but was unlucky in his attempts.

Harmless offensively, vulnerable defensively

In addition, they are vulnerable in defense and make unnecessary mistakes – like on Tuesday against the Red Jackets.

Before the 0-1, Ian Scheid wanted to play the puck along the boards to Henrik Neubauer, but he failed to see Jesper Jensen Aabo rushing up from behind. The Dane intercepted the puck, played it to the middle and Luka Gomboc scored.

The 0:3 was the fault of Graham Knott, the Black Wings’ top scorer last year. His chip pass in front of his own goal completely failed, was intercepted by Mathias From and the shooting star beat Rasmus Tirronen.

The setting is right, the execution is not

Such moments not only rob the Upper Austrians of any chance of victory, but above all of their self-confidence.

Lukas says: “Our attitude is right, but if the execution is not right, we cannot be satisfied.”

Lebler added: “We have the right guys in the dressing room, they all have a good attitude. Our fans give everything, even after the game. I don’t know why, because that was just not good of us. The people out there deserve better.”

“We all have to take a look at ourselves”

“There’s no sugarcoating it. We’re not going to stand there and say it’ll be OK. It’s not OK. We all have to take a look at ourselves,” says coach Lukas. “We have to find explanations for this quickly.”

Lebler concludes: “We have to minimize our mistakes and finally score some goals.”

The first opportunity to do so will be on Friday, when the traditional duel with the Vienna Capitals (7:15 p.m. in the LIVE ticker >>>) takes place. And on Sunday it’s off to the Graz99ers (5:30 p.m. in the LIVE ticker >>>).

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