6–2 win at Pustertal
Sweep in the finals! Graz99ers crowned ICE champions
Following their Austrian ice hockey championship victory, the Graz99ers have now secured their first-ever ICE title!
On Wednesday evening, the Styrians defeated HC Pustertal 6-2 (1-2, 1-0, 4-0) on the road in Game 4 of the ICE Hockey League’s “best-of-seven” final series, thereby sweeping the series 4-0. Head coach Dan Lacroix’s team thus achieved a perfect playoff run: They had also swept VSV in the quarterfinals and Fehervar in the semifinals, both by a score of 4-0.
With this so-called “triple sweep” (12-0 wins in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals), Graz made history. Only the Vienna Capitals and Red Bull Salzburg had achieved this feat before. In the end, the finals—with wins of 5-1, 5-1, 5-2, and 6-2—were a clear victory for the 99ers, who recorded the greatest success in club history. Since the league’s restructuring in 2000, the Graz team is the sixth champion to remain undefeated in the finals.
Decision in the Final Period
Kevin Roy gave Graz an early lead in Bruneck (8th minute), but the Italian hosts didn’t take long to respond. Rok Ticar (11th minute) and Mats Frycklund on the power play (15th minute) turned the score to 2-1 before the first intermission buzzer. In the second period, Anders Koch scored a somewhat fortunate equalizer for the Styrians (31st minute), while Pustertal remained unlucky in front of the opposing net, defended by the strong goaltender Nicolas Wieser.
The game went into the final period tied at 2-2. There, the visitors put on a masterclass: Kevin Conley put the 99ers ahead with a rebound goal (42nd minute), Josh Currie made it 4-2 (49th minute), and Lenz Moosbrugger added the fifth (54th minute). The Wolves’ resistance had long since been broken, and the first ICE title for the Graz team was in the bag. To top it off, Michael Schiechl scored an empty-net goal. Afterward, the Graz players threw their helmets onto the ice. For Paul Stapelfeldt, a winning streak continued: It was the fifth consecutive league title for the defenseman; after four championships with Salzburg, the 27-year-old now succeeded with Graz.
The result:
HC Falkensteiner Pustertal Wölfe – Moser Medical Graz99ers 2:6 (2:1, 0:1, 0:4)
Series final score: 0:4
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