Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga
| Sport | Ice Hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Country |  Austria |
| Official website | http://www.dameneishockey.org |
The Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga (German: Dameneishockey-Bundesliga or DEBL) is the upper league in Women's ice hockey in Austria. It is organized by the Österreichischer Eishockeyverband. Austria had 652 female players in 2013.[1]
History
Founded in 1998, the league uses a format of home and away matches. In the 2004–05 season, the best Austrian teams additionally also competed in the international Elite Women's Hockey League (EWHL). From the following season onward, the top teams only played in the EWHL, making the Bundesliga in a sense the second-level league of Austrian Women's ice hockey. As a result, the title of Austrian champion is decided in a separate tournament titled Staatsmeisterschaft (National Championship), featuring the three teams that play in the EWHL and the top DEBL team. Exceptions were the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons where EWHL clubs were the only competing teams. Since 2008, following the example of the Austrian men's ice hockey league, the DEBL has also featured teams from neighbouring Slovenia.
2010–11 Season
- Format
The six teams of the DEBL are assembled into one division. The teams play each other three times a year.
The top DEBL team qualifies for the Staatsmeisterschaft where it meets the three Austrian teams from the EWHL. The tournament uses a home- and away-game format. The two top teams contest the final, using a best-of-three format. The better-placed team has the right to contest the first game in its home ground. The other two teams contest the third-place play-off, also using a best-of-three format.[2]
- Teams
| Dameneishockey-Bundesliga | Staatsmeisterschaft
|
Championship record
| Season | Staatsmeisterschaft | Dameneishockey-Bundesliga |
|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | Gipsy Girls Villach | |
| 1999-00 | Gipsy Girls Villach | |
| 2000-01 | EHC Vienna Flyers | |
| 2001-02 | EHV Sabres Vienna | |
| 2002-03 | EHV Sabres Vienna | |
| 2003-04 | EHV Sabres Vienna | |
| 2004-05 | EHV Sabres Vienna | |
| 2005-06 | EC The Ravens Salzburg | Red Angels Innsbruck |
| 2006-07 | EHV Sabres Vienna | Gipsy Girls Villach |
| 2007-08 | EHV Sabres Vienna | DEC Dragons Klagenfurt |
| 2008-09 | EC The Ravens Salzburg | HK Merkur Triglav Kranj Template:SLO-d |
| 2009-10 | EHV Sabres Vienna | SPG Kitzbühel/Salzburg |
| 2010-11 | EHV Sabres Vienna [3] | Neuberg Highlanders |
| 2011-12 | --- | Neuberg Highlanders |
| Team | Titles | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EHV Sabres Vienna | 7 |
| 2 | EC The Ravens Salzburg | 2 |
| - | Gipsy Girls Villach | 2 |
| 4 | EHC Vienna Flyers | 1 |
DEBL II
In 2004, due to the increasing number of teams, a second division titled DEBL II was created. There was no matchplay in this league in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons.
The team that finishes at the bottom of the DEBL league table at the end of the season meets the top team of the DEBL II over a best-of-three series. The winner of that contest then plays in the DEBL during the next season, while the loser is relegated to the second DEBL.[4]
- Team Club for season 2011–12
- 1. DEC Devils Graz
- Tornados Ice Cats Linz
- Neuberg Highlanders 2
- Red Angels Innsbruck
- EC "Die Adler" Kitzbühel
- EC Icemice Telfs
|}
| Season | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2004-05 | Kundl Crocodiles |
| 2005-06 | EHV Sabres Vienna 2 |
| 2006-07 | EC The Ravens Salzburg 2 |
| 2009-10 | FTC Eagles Budapest  Hungary
|
| 2010-11 | EC "Die Adler" Kitzbühel |
| 2011-12 | --- |
See also
References
- ^ IIHF, http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/countries/austria.html
- ^ Template:De icon "Staatsmeisterschaft – Austragungsmodus" Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (description of championship format), ÖEHV Women"s Ice Hockey website
- ^ Life the Dream, Kiira Dosdall and the Vienna Sabres Capture Gold, http://www.womenshockeylife.com/blogs_view_dsp.cfm?BlogId=266&CatId=6 , April 12, 2011.
- ^ Template:De icon "DEBL II – Austragungsmodus" Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (description of 2nd league format), ÖEHV Women"s Ice Hockey website
- This article incorporates information from the French and German Wikipedias.