Image: ICE/Werner Krainbucher
“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my long career. I think we were robbed of two points,” said Black Wings coach Philipp Lukas after the 3-2 defeat after extra time at the Graz 99ers. The sting runs deep, the Linz ice hockey cracks seem to be punished for every “little thing” at the moment. Of the last eight championship matches, seven were lost, and what was a comfortable lead and the interim lead in the standings has turned into a shaky game around the ominous line.
The Black Wings are still over the line – in sixth place, which entitles them to participate directly in the play-off quarter-finals. But the balance on the first pursuer, Bolzano, is only two points. In seventh place, the EHC would have to do a lap of honor, like in the previous season, which was also characterized by a low at the beginning of the year, i.e. in the pre-play-offs. This must be avoided. “We have a good team, we will get out of this together again,” emphasized goalkeeper Thomas Höneckl, who was also quite dismayed after the fall in Styria.
The Linzers are annoyed by the refereeing performance – and especially by the two head referees Manuel Nikolic and Christian Voican, who denied the Wings two goals at the end of regular time – each after video study. Both Logan Roe (55th) and Niklas Bretschneider (57th) celebrated too early.
Now the league commented on the two decisions and sided with the referees. A Black Wings protest would therefore have made little sense. “In both cases, the goal was slightly displaced. Rule 78.5 states that the goal must be in its correct position before or while the puck crosses the goal line. A goal cannot and must not be recognized in this case,” it said a statement.
And: “The rules do not provide any leeway for the referees. No distinction can be made between a slightly and heavily shifted goal. The game officials followed the IIHF rule book correctly, and the win2day ICE Hockey League supports the game officials’ decisions.” Point. Out of. End.
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I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
