we have arrived To the final week of the Alps Hockey League match for the second stage. While Master Round is far from unraveling a very tangled skein To determine who will win the second part of the AHL and above all the final standings to reach the top three teams, that is, those who, once the previous preliminaries have ended, will have the right to choose in the selection round of the opponent to meet in the quarterfinals, On Thursday it will be about to face off in a derby laden between Ghardina and Fassa. Based on the Group A pre-qualifying classification, and with Zell am See and Vipiteno already qualified for the pre-qualifiers, third place in the group remains to be determined, the last useful for continuing the Alps beyond the second stage. With the Steel Wings already ruled out by Linz, it remains to decide which other team should end hostilities and there is no doubt: Furies of Val Gardena defend a one-point advantage in the Ladin derby against a Fassa attack that, however, has two possibilities compared to Val Gardena. Indeed, Thursday will be the last match of the second stage for the South Tyrol team while on Saturday Vasa will have another chance. So he really expects a high-voltage laden derby.

Master tours

20:30 SG Cortina Hafro – Unterland Cavaliers Hockey

Live ppv broadcast: https://streaming.hockeycortina.it/

Referees: PINIE, VIRTA, De Zordo, Fleischmann

SG Cortina Hafro, despite its recent loss to Red Bull Hockey Juniors, is still on pace to win the Master Round. Ampezzo is currently two points behind leaders Ritten, but there is one more game scheduled. On the other hand, Hockey Otterland Cavaliers are at the fifth position. In the last four games, the Cleveland team has not won a single point. However, the Bassa Atesina formation could still beat Cortina, given that the two remaining challenges for both Venice and South Tyrol are precisely two head-to-head. Only with two complete victories can the newly promoted team reach fourth place against Cortina which also means an advantage on the track in the quarterfinals.

Qualifying round A:

19:30 EK Die Zeller Eisbaren – Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan

Referees: LEHNER, RUETZ, Matthew, Voican

Also in the qualifying round (A) there is a direct duel for leadership in the standings. EK Die Zeller Eisbären and Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan have already qualified for the 2023 pre-qualifiers. Thursday’s match is a defining moment for those who start from pole position and therefore have an easier opponent in the playoffs. Currently, the Polar Bears have a one-point lead. However, the team in better shape are the Broncos, who have won their last three games – some by clean sweeps. On the other hand, the Polar Bears had to suffer defeat in their last two games. In the first meeting between these two teams, the two teams put up a tough battle, with the best ending going to the Broncos, who were victorious in a shootout.

20:30 HC Gherdeina valgardena.it – ​​SHC Fassa Falcons

Referees: Benfigno, Motion, Cristelli, Rigoni

HC Gherdeina valgardena.it and SHC Fassa Falcons are challenging each other for the third place in the qualifying round playoffs. Gherdeina is currently up by one point, but the Falcons have another game scheduled. In the first duel between these two teams, Trentino’s team celebrated a 3: 1 victory. If Vasa wins, both in regulation time and in extra time / penalty shootouts, then Thursday’s preliminary playoff ticket can already be separated by Vasani. If Gerdina wins in regular time, the ticket to the pre-qualifiers will go to the Furies. If Gerdina wins in extra time or in a penalty shootout, Val Gardena’s side will still depend on the last result from Vaasa, who will play at home against Zell am See.

Qualifying round B:

20:30 HC Miran / O Bircher – EC-KAC Future Team

Referees: GIACOMOZZI, SORAPERRA, Bedana, Brondi

The HC Meran/o Pircher vs EC-KAC Future Team match is for those who want to avoid finishing the season in last place. For both teams, the pre-game train has already left the station and they both know the season ends this week. While Merano is the only team that did not win in the intermediate round, the young team from Carinthia recently celebrated its first success – in the first duel against the blacks and whites. However, Merano now wants to avenge that defeat and put the first points on the farm to finish this season in the best way possible.

Photo by Doriano Brunel

Master Round (already qualified for the playoffs).

1) Rittner Boam Sky Alps 14 points (7 matches)
2) Red Bull Hockey Juniors, 13 points (6 matches).
3) HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice 13 points (7 matches)
4) SG Cortina Hafro 12 points (6 games)
5) Unterland Cavaliers Hockey 6 points (6 games)

Group A qualification for the pre-qualifying stage (top three qualify for the pre-qualifying stage)

1) ED Die Zeller Eisbaren 16 points (6 matches)
2) The Broncos and Stephan Winston, 15 points (6 games).
3) HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 11 points (7 points).
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4) SHC Fassa Falcons 10 points (6 matches).
5) Steinbach Steel Wings Linz 7 points (7 matches)

Group B Pre-Qualifiers (Top 3 qualify for the Pre-Qualifiers)

1) EC Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbuhel 19 points (7 matches)
2) EHC Lustenau 15 points (6 games).
3) EC Brigenzerwald 13 points (6 matches).
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4) EC – KAC Future Team 6 points (7 matches)
5) HC Miran / O Bircher 5 points (6 matches)

In the two qualifying rounds, the top three advance to the preliminary rounds. 1A will challenge 3B; 1B will challenge 3A; A2 will challenge B2. The three winners of the pre-playoff series join the playoff bracket with the top five from the main round. The teams ranked fourth and fifth in each of the two qualifying groups finished the season on February 25.