Out in the quarterfinals
It’s over! Fehervar sends KAC into the abyss
That hurts! The KAC went into the quarterfinal matchup against tenth-seeded Szekesfehervar as heavy favorites—but now, after six games, it’s all over. The Hungarians prevailed 3-0 and won the series 4-2. The Red Jackets lacked fire and intensity, and the team leaders didn’t step up enough.
Just on game day, the KAC had rushed the recently ill Petersen to Hungary; in the end, the Canadian also took the ice alongside Mursak and Schwinger—in hopes of bringing the series back to Klagenfurt with their first road win. But as usual, Székesfehérvár shut down the back end on home ice, once again posing major problems for the visitors. Toward the end of the first period, Fraser (15th, 19th) and From (17th) had chances but were denied by goalie Reijola.
Goal Conceded While Shorthanded
In the second period, defenseman Nickl was assessed a four-minute penalty for hitting a Hungarian player in the face with his stick. Fehervar scored on this power play: With his view obstructed, Erdely deflected a Messner shot right under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead. On the other end, the Red Jackets had a lot of bad luck—because during their first power play, Unterweger (31st), From (31st), and Teves (32nd) all hit the post within just a minute and a half, narrowly missing out on the lead. Toward the end of the period, the home team dominated again, but Archibald also hit the post (38th).
Fourth line came close
The start of the final period was disastrous, as the Klagenfurters were completely disoriented defensively, making it far too easy for the Hungarians. On an Andersen shot, however, goalie Dahm was on his toes. The fourth line then had the first good chance of the period, but Witting and Waschnig narrowly missed the equalizer (49th). Then the home team sealed the deal: On a counterattack, Hari was set up by captain Erdely, took the puck on his backhand, and lifted it in for a 2-0 lead (56th). Klagenfurt pushed with six skaters—but in the end, it simply wasn’t enough. Fehervar’s Cheek sealed the deal with a 3-0 goal into an empty net, sending the Red Jackets into the abyss.
“That wasn’t enough!”
In a post-game analysis, KAC captain Clemens Unterweger was naturally very disappointed: “We never really played playoff hockey throughout the entire series; that was simply not enough—the Hungarians were just smarter than us over the six games.”
Graz Claims Austrian Title
With the KAC’s elimination, the Graz99ers are now officially Austrian champions. It is also certain that there will be a new champion in the ICE League. Neither Graz (who now face the Hungarians), Pustertal, nor Ljubljana have been able to clinch the title so far. The Red Jackets are now heading into an unexpectedly early vacation.
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