EC-KAC took the momentum from their last win over Salzburg and started brilliantly into their home game against KHL Medvescak Zagreb: in the third minute Martin Schumnig made the breakthrough on power play. Although the hosts were still predominant, Greg Day tied the game with a shot into the far corner. Everything happened quickly when Christoph Brandner restored their lead only two minutes later on power play. And the spectacle progressed when Thomas Koch scored a shorthanded marker at 11:11. Andy Sertich rounded off the scoring of a curious first period with another shorthanded goal. The middle period started slowly with both teams decelerating. After five minutes the record-holding champions had two good goalscoring opportunities but Joey Tenute and Paul Schellander failed because of Robert Kristan. In further consequence the visitors pressured and it was Tomislav Zanoski who scored the equalizer on a rebound. One and a half minute after the midway point of the game Matt Siddall turned the game around with his third goal of the season. At the beginning of the final period Frank Banham made the preliminary decision when he scored from the slot. Klagenfurt looked very tired, so they were without six players. Joey Tenute got one back with eight minutes remaining but it didn’t seem likely they can turn around again. Pulling their goalie with just two minutes left in regulation, the home side was not able to create good chances. So the Croats celebrated their third season victory in Klagenfurt.

Next shutout victory for Linz
EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz set a high pace from the beginning and the visitors from Ljubljana looked overchallenged: after only 52 seconds Damjan Dervaric had to go to the sin bin and the hosts took advantage of their extra man with Mike Oullette opening the scoring. The forward deflected a shot by Curtis Murphy for an early lead. The table-toppers were clearly superior but they missed several chances. At the end of the first period HDD TILIA Olimpija Ljubljana found their first good scoring opportunities but Erik Pance and John Hughes were not able to convert. The middle period was evenly-matched and the Slovenes kept the game open. Alex Westlund stopped many attempts and in this phase the visitors had the chance to tie the game. Late in the period Linz came on better again and Danny Irmen doubled the lead on a rebound with 16 seconds to go. Early in the third Rob Hisey and Danny Irmen missed clear-cut chances to decide the game. It was only in the 50^th minute when Brian Lebler made it 3:0 with an excellent goal. With four minutes to go Jean Philippe Lamoureux left the ice for an extra attacker and Philipp Lukas sent the game to bed with an empty-netter.

Lucky after 13 consecutive defeats
The first period of the game between EC Red Bull Salzburg and SAPA Fehervar AV19 was relatively balanced. On the one hand, the hosts were not able to create any chances, on the other hand the Hungarians tried their luck on breakaways. Marton Vas finally succeeded on one when he left Thomas Höneckl look helpless. In the middle period nothing has changed until before the midway point of the game when the Hungarians scored a brace: first, Arpad Mihaly increased the lead with a slap shot on power play, then Krisztian Palkovics finished with a great combination to a 3:0. Manuel Latusa created the only chance for the hosts in the second period, however unsuccessfully. Whoever expected a comeback from Salzburg has been left disappointed due to Mihaly’s and Istvan Sofron’s performance who scored another brace within 74 seconds. Again, Sofron scored the half-dozen. Thomas Raffl scored the consolation goal at 51:13 but the Hungarians had the final say: Balazs Ladanyi rounded off the scoring to celebrate Fehervar’s first ever victory at Volksgarten after thirteen consecutive defeats.

24.01.2012: EC-KAC – KHL Medvescak Zagreb 4:5 (3:2, 0:2, 1:1)
Goals Klagenfurt: 1:0 Schumnig (3./PP), 2:1 Brandner (9./PP), 3:1 Koch (12./SH), 4:5 Tenute (52.)
Goals Zagreb: 1:1 Day (7./PP), 3:2 Sertich (17./SH), 3:3 Zanoski (28.), 3:4 Siddall (32.), 3:5 Banham (42.)

EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz – HDD TILIA Olimpija Ljubljana 4:0 (1:0, 1:0, 2:0)
Goals Linz: 1:0 Ouellette (2.), 2:0 Irmen (40./pp), 3:0 M.Lebler (50./PP) 4:0 Ph. Lukas (57.)

EC Red Bull Salzburg – SAPA Fehervar AV19 1:7 (0:1, 0:2, 1:4)
Goal Salzburg: 1:6 Raffl (52.)
Goals Szekesfehervar: 0:1 M. Vas (10.), 0:2, 0:4 Mihaly (29./pp, 41.), 0:3 Palkovics (30.), 0:5, 0:6 Sofron (42., 48.), 1:7 Ladanyi (57.)