2:1 test win

Teenagers score in ÖEHV victory against Slovenia

David Reinbacher(Bild: GEPA)

Austria's national ice hockey team also narrowly won part two of the test match double against Slovenia ahead of the Olympic qualifying tournament. The ÖEHV team won 2:1 (0:1,2:0,0:0) in Graz on Saturday after a clear advantage in chances; on Thursday they had won 2:1 after overtime away from home. As in Bled with Marco Kasper scoring twice, youngsters shone as scorers this time too. David Reinbacher (26) and Vinzenz Rohrer (34) scored. 

The Slovenians took the lead through Zan Jezovsek (7.). However, the two 19-year-olds from Vorarlberg, Reinbacher and Rohrer, turned things around in the second period. In the end, it remained 2:1 and thus a final boost of self-confidence for the difficult Olympic qualifiers.

"Have to ramp up efficiency"
"It certainly wasn't easy, they got off to a very good start, but then we found our game again. We have to up our efficiency a bit next week," said Reinbacher, defenseman of the Montreal Canadiens. ZSC Lions forward Rohrer was not exuberant either. "2:1 is a close result. We played very well at times and deserved to win. I've had a few chances in the last few games, and now I've finally scored a goal, which is very good."

Team boss Roger Bader could only find fault with their efficiency. "We should have been 3-0 up after the first period. It was one-sided at times, 40:13 shots is a very clear verdict. Our chance conversion wasn't high yet, but we produced a lot in offense and put a lot of pressure on them. Two wins are two wins, they certainly give us morale and have helped us to get the team in shape for next week," said the Swiss.

Starting on Thursday, Bratislava will face hosts and favorites Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Hungary for just one ticket to the 2026 Winter Games. Captain Thomas Raffl, who was absent against Slovenia due to illness, will also be back in the team. Bader will nominate his final squad on Tuesday.