Zeller polar bears crown themselves into the first AHL masters - sensation in Zell!

Zeller polar bears crown themselves into the first AHL masters - sensation in Zell!

Zell am See, Österreich - The Zeller Eisbären wrote history on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, by winning their first championship title for an Austrian team in the nine-year history of the league in the decisive fifth game of the Alps Hockey League with a convincing 5-1 win over HDD Jesenice. This title represents a milestone in the history of the Alps Hockey League, since the championships have so far been achieved almost exclusively by teams from Italy or Slovenia, such as Laola1 reported.

The decisive game took place in the sold -out biscuit arena in Zell am See, where 2,899 ice hockey fans watched the sensational appearance of their team. The cheers knew no boundaries when captain Robin Johansson could increase to 2-0 in the 16th minute in Powerplay and Nick Huard just 50 seconds later. In the further course of the game, the polar bears continued their surprise coup.

dominance and emotions

In the second third, Kilian Rappold's goals followed in the 26th minute and Hubert Berger in the 39th minute, which scored a conceded goal. With this, Zell am See had expanded the lead to 4: 0. HDD Jesenice, who did not want to give up, scored the honor hit by her player Brus in the 51st minute before Daniel Ban marked the final score of 5: 1 in the 53rd minute, such as Sn.at also reported.

After the game, Hubert Berger emotionally commented on the winning of the title and the meaning he has for the region. Patrick Schwarz, Managing Director of the Zeller Eisbären, also emphasized the historical scope of the success that brought the entire community together in Zell am See.

A review of the Alps Hockey League

The Alps Hockey League, founded in the 2016/17 season, combines ice hockey teams from Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. This league was created by merging the Inter-National League and Italian series A and has quickly established itself. Since it was founded, the league has primarily been shaped by Italian and Slovenian successes, as can be seen on wikipedia

With the championship title 2025, the Zeller Eisbären not only achieved historical success for themselves, but also for Austrian ice hockey. They are not only known for their title, but also for their long tradition, since the club, originally founded in 1928 as ETC Zell, has already emerged nine times as an Austrian second division champion.

In the coming season, the polar bears are looking forward to starting in the Alps Hockey League from the position of the defending champion.