Hydro Fehérvár AV19 secured a 3–2 victory over Olimpija Ljubljana in the ICE Hockey League on Friday, overcoming a depleted roster and a two-goal deficit in the early minutes at Hala Tivoli. Nemzeti Sport reported that Anže Kuralt and Trevor Cheek staked the visiting side to an early lead before Ljubljana responded through Jan Urbas, but Fehérvár held on as Rasmus Reijola starred in goal.
Depleted Fehérvár Roster Overcomes Ljubljana Start
Friday’s matchup in Ljubljana presented a steep challenge for the visiting side. Entering the game near the bottom of the ICEHL standings with 13 points from 13 matches, Fehérvár played without several key contributors. István Bartalis, Viktor Persson, Max Gerlach, Péter Vincze, Ben Zloty, and Béni Halász were all unavailable due to injuries.
Ljubljana sat comfortably inside the league’s top four. Yet the visiting side struck first. In the sixth minute, Anže Kuralt converted a rebound from close range, and Trevor Cheek quickly followed by stripping a defenseman of the puck to score and double the lead.
Ljubljana answered before the first intermission when Jan Urbas finished a swift transition sequence past goaltender Rasmus Reijola. The score remained close as both penalty-killing units stopped several scoring attempts through the middle frames.
Ted Dent Adjusts Defense to Stop Ljubljana Speed
Fehérvár head coach Ted Dent adjusted his defensive strategy during the first intermission to counter Ljubljana’s speed through the neutral zone. The visitors deployed a high forecheck, which disrupted the Slovenian side’s transition game.
That pressure created the decisive goal in the second period. During a successful defensive turnover, Tim Campbell delivered a pass that István Terbócs buried to restore a two-goal advantage.
With the injuries forcing lineup shuffles, several younger players stepped into expanded roles. Gergő Mihalik skated on the top line alongside Michael Farren and Trevor Cheek, utilizing his speed to create sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
Fehérvár Defense Holds off Late Ljubljana Push
Ljubljana pulled goaltender Lukaš Horák for an extra attacker in the closing minutes, mounting a six-on-five offensive push. Fehérvár’s skaters blocked multiple attempts in front of the net, with defenseman Tim Campbell absorbing a hard shot late in the contest before leaving for the locker room.
Joshua Lawrence scored for Ljubljana with one minute remaining on the clock to cut the deficit to 2–3. Reijola and the Fehérvár defense managed the final seconds to preserve the regulation win, marking the club’s second three-point haul since a victory over Villach on September 30.
Post-Match Assessment from Ljubljana and Fehérvár Benches
Ljubljana head coach Ben Cooper pointed to a slow start as the turning point for his squad. He stated that his players played too casually at the outset and only increased their physical play after falling behind.
Ted Dent acknowledged the tense finish in his post-game remarks. He credited the early goals with providing necessary confidence and praised the performance of his penalty kill, goaltender Rasmus Reijola, and the younger skaters who stepped up to fill vacant roster spots.
Fehérvár Climbs ICEHL Standings After Friday Results
The regulation victory lifts Hydro Fehérvár AV19 to 16 points as the club battles to climb out of the lower tier of the ICEHL standings. Ljubljana remains positioned among the top four teams in the league table despite the home loss.
Across the league on Friday, the Graz 99ers fell 2–5 to the Black Wings Linz, the TWK Innsbruck lost 2–4 to the RB Salzburg, the Pioneers Vorarlberg were defeated 3–6 by HCB Südtirol Alperia, and HC Milano dropped a 2–3 decision to EC KAC.
