Ice Hockey League

2 out of 28! Sharks have no bite in the powerplay

HCI top scorer Mark Rassell and Co. want to record their fourth home win against Linz on Sunday.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Innsbruck still has to wait for its first away win of the season after Friday's 3-2 defeat in Graz. The Sharks also failed due to their weakness on the powerplay. The HCI were unable to capitalize on five chances with a man advantage. They want to do better at home against Linz on Sunday.

The Haie also lost their third away game of the season in Graz with 2:3, but the Innsbruck ice hockey cracks did not return home empty-handed on Friday. "We kept up quite well. We shouldn't forget that the Styrians are in contention for the title this season," said co-coach Florian Pedevilla.

7th round of the ICE Ice Hockey League

• Graz - Innsbruck 3:2 (0:2, 2:0, 1:0)
• Vienna Capitals - Asiago 2:1 (1:0, 0:0, 1:1)
• Villach _ Vorarlberg 5:3 (1:0, 0:1, 4:2)
• Salzburg Pustertal 5:6 n.p. (2:1, 3:2, 0:2, 0:0)
• Ljubljana - Bolzano 2:5 (1:1, 0:0, 1:4)

Opportunities would have been there
The HCI even had opportunities to take more than just morale from Graz. After a double strike from Stefan Klassek and Corey Mackin, they went into the first period break with a 2:0 lead. "We had another power play after that. If it had been 3:0, things would probably have looked different in the end," sighed Pedevilla.

"In close games, the special teams make the difference.

Haie-Ko-Trainer Florian Pedevilla

Outnumbering was the weak point
Outnumbering was generally the HCI's weak point on Friday evening. Captain Jan Lattner and Co. failed to put anything countable on the scoreboard in five power play opportunities. Even in the final minutes when head coach Jordan Smotherman also took goalie Evan Buitenhus off the ice. "In close games, the special teams make the difference," explained Pedevilla.

Aha effect to come against Linz
The Graz game was certainly not an isolated incident. Innsbruck only scored two goals in 28 overtime opportunities. With a success rate of 7.1 percent, the Sharks have the weakest power play in the league. "We're creating chances, but so far we've often lacked luck. In Graz, we hit the crossbar twice in the final period," says Pedevilla, hoping for the famous "aha" effect on Sunday against Linz (17:30) in order to secure a fourth home win.