Ice Hockey

Before Olympic qualifiers: Austria beats Slovenia

Austria's national ice hockey team has won its first test game for the Olympic qualifiers against Slovenia thanks to two late goals from NHL hopeful Marco Kasper. Team manager Roger Bader's ÖEHV team won 2:1 after overtime in Bled on Thursday. 

Kasper equalized with 57 seconds left on the clock after Rok Macuh (37) had put the hosts ahead. Shortly afterwards, the 20-year-old Carinthian from the Detroit Red Wings scored the winner (63./PP).

Preparation for the Olympic qualifiers
"It's definitely a deserved win. The shooting ratio was clear, we had the better chances," said Bader, whose team "clearly dominated" the final third. The team spirit and energy were good in the first game after the summer break, but there is still room for improvement in terms of directness and tempo.

On Saturday (4 p.m.), the team will once again face their group opponents for the 2025 World Championship in Graz. The test games serve as preparation for the Olympic qualifying tournament from August 29 to September 1 in Bratislava. The ÖEHV team will play against hosts and favorites Slovakia (August 29), Kazakhstan (August 30) and Hungary (September 1) for a ticket to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.