5-1 victory over Pustertal

Graz 99ers celebrate goal fest in first final game

Jubilation among the Graz fans(Bild: Sepp Pail)

A perfect start! The Graz 99ers kicked off the ICE Hockey League finals series against the Pustertal Wolves with a 5-1 rout.

The Graz 99ers have confidently taken the first of four necessary steps toward winning the ICE Hockey League. The Austrian champions won the sold-out opener of the final series against the Pustertal Wolves 5-1 (2-0, 1-1, 2-0) on home ice on Wednesday and head into the second game of the “best-of-seven” series on Friday (7:45 p.m.) in Bruneck with confidence. The Graz team remains undefeated in the current playoffs after two 4-0 sweeps.

For the last remaining Austrian club still in the semifinals, the stakes are high: it’s the first championship title for a Styrian club in 48 years—ATSE Graz last triumphed in 1978. That’s the birth year of 99ers President Herbert Jerich, and he’s convinced of an imminent triumph. “We’ve planned the championship celebration for April 26,” the club boss explained in an ORF interview. The potential sixth game of the series is scheduled for that day, so Jerich does not expect the series to be decided in seven games.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

  Lukas Haudum was largely responsible for the victory over the South Tyroleans with two goals. The team player opened the scoring in the 9th minute by surprising the strong Pustertal goalie Eddie Pasquale with a shot into the near corner. Haudum scored his second goal 35 seconds into the third period with a slap shot that made it 4-1—the decisive goal. Josh Currie (17th), Frank Hora (34th/PP), and Nicholas Bailen (44th) also scored for Graz.

Graz “backup goalie” Wieser shines
Graz coach Daniel Lacroix once again started Nicolas Wieser in goal at the Liebenau Ice Arena in front of 4,621 spectators, as starting goalie Max Lagace remains injured. Wieser did a very good job, only having to concede on a shot by Austin Rueschhoff, who was left criminally unmarked (25th minute). But after the early goals in the third period that ultimately sealed the final score, the Pustertal team had run out of steam, and the game had lost some of its intensity; Graz’s clear victory was no longer in danger.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Despite the win, Haudum wasn’t entirely satisfied. “We can’t be completely happy; we were a bit too prone to mistakes. The second period was too sloppy,” said the star player. “Luckily, we had Wieser in goal. We’ll have to buckle up on Friday.” Pustertal captain Raphael Andergast criticized his team’s “sleepy start.” “But now we know what we’re up against.”