On Friday evening, important matches were on the schedule in European ice hockey. In the cross-border ICE Hockey League (ICEHL), EC-KAC managed to strengthen its top position. In their home Heidi Horten Arena, the team from Klagenfurt narrowly won 3:2 in overtime against the Hungarian team Hydro Feh{e}rv{a}r AV19 in front of 4,005 spectators. Nicholas Petersen and Filip Simovic initially put the home team ahead 2:0, before the guests equalized. Jan Mursak scored the deciding goal in the third minute of overtime. Since the direct pursuer from Graz lost at the bottom-ranked HC Innsbruck at the same time, the lead for the 'Rotjacken' at the top of the table grew to four points.
In contrast, EC VSV experienced a bitter evening. The team from Villach had to admit defeat 2:5 against the reigning champion Red Bull Salzburg in front of their home crowd. Salzburg thus closed the gap to seven points behind the league leader from Klagenfurt. For the VSV, the defeat is a setback in the fight for the 'Pre-Play-off-R{a}nge'.
In the German Ice Hockey League (DEL), the Cologne Sharks made history. With a victory against the Fischtown Pinguins from Bremerhaven, the team of head coach Kari Jalonen celebrated its 13th consecutive win. With this run, the KEC matched its internal club record from the years 1995 and 2005. The Cologne team consolidated its dominant lead in the German elite league through this streak and further extended its advantage over the pursuers.
