Milano Hockey Club will play its first home game of the season on Friday after opening the campaign with eight matches on the road. The newly built Fiera Ice Arena can hold 4,000 spectators. Milano has won five of eight games and sits fourth, although it has most recently lost to Villach and Salzburg. The first meeting with Innsbruck ended 3-1 to Milano, with Jacob Smith making 40 saves. Innsbruck arrives after consecutive shutout losses to Vienna and Graz.
League leaders HCB Südtirol Alperia visit EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV. Bozen has 18 points from seven games and has not lost in regulation, while ninth-placed Villach has ten points. The Foxes beat EC-KAC 4-0 before edging FTC-Telekom in a shootout; VSV lost 4-3 in overtime to Vienna.
Other Friday fixtures include third-placed Linz against Pustertal, Graz hosting Olimpija, Pioneers Vorarlberg against EC-KAC, Fehérvár facing Salzburg and FTC-Telekom taking on Vienna. Linz and Pustertal have each won four of their last five, while Olimpija comes off an 8-0 victory over the Pioneers.