The final curtain fell for the Black Wings

Over and over. The Steinbach Black Wings have been on vacation since 9:39 p.m. and, like last year, failed in the ice hockey play-off quarterfinals. Defending champions Red Bull Salzburg were ultimately one size too big and unstoppable on the home straight. The EHC lost game five 1:5 (0:2, 0:2, 1:1) and the best-of-7 series 1:4. The season ends after the 53rd match, the bottom line was 27 wins and 26 defeats (goal difference 163:141).

But the ice age in Linz is not quite over yet. On Thursday (6 p.m.) the Academy of Upper Austria won the first championship puck against Ujpest Budapest in the international U20 championship with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 final. In addition, there will be a preparatory match for the A World Cup (in Prague) between Austria and the Czech Republic on April 20th (6 p.m.).

Six players have contracts

The Black Wings aren’t interested in that at all at the moment. The sting of disappointment runs too deep. In the coming days there will be individual discussions, a razor-sharp analysis, a final dinner and also the decision as to who will extend the contract and who must or will leave.

What is certain is that the coaching staff with boss Philipp Lukas and his assistants Mark Szücs and Jürgen Penker will remain on board until 2027; current player contracts have six men: goalie Rasmus Tirronen, Matt MacKenzie, Gerd Kragl, Nico Feldner, Niklas Bretschneider and Shawn St -Amant (until 2025). Linz can take an option with center Sean Collins, who was disappointing in the play-offs. A real recommendation looks different.

“We need our best hockey against Salzburg,” coach Lukas emphasized before the series. However, many top performers were far from that. Offensively, the EHC presented itself far too harmlessly (just seven goals in five play-off matches), the special teams (power play, outnumbered) were clearly in the shadow of the Mozartstadt formations, and there was also a lack of discipline. The Black Wings received too many penalty minutes (twelve on Monday).

But the saddest figure – because every mistake with a goalkeeper is punished and is obvious – was the unfortunate Tirronen, who didn’t cut a happy figure in Game 5 either when he conceded two goals. Especially the decisive 0:2 (12th) by Nicolai Meyer from an impossible angle (from the curve) hurt. After 36:12 minutes and Mario Huber’s 0:4 with one man more, Tirronen’s working day was over. The Finn made way for Thomas Höneckl. With no prospect of a turnaround.

The Black Wings had so much planned. The first 191 seconds (until the first penalty) were okay, the start to the middle third was also impressive, including Shawn St-Amant’s consolation goal to make it 1:4 (45th/pp). Nevertheless, there was more going on in the stands than on the ice: the around 400 battle bums from Upper Austria celebrated their cracks until the last second and even afterwards. Hats off to you for that!

“We fought, but the disc just didn’t want to jump for us,” said striker Andreas Kristler at Puls 24.