Kasper’s Austrians suffer blow at Olympic Qualifying Tournament, drop 2nd loss to Kazakhstan

Marco Kasper and Team Austria are in a tough spot in terms of qualifying for the 2026 Olympics.

Kasper scored a goal on Thursday as Austria lost 2-1 to Slovakia, and today, Kasper was muted (though he went to the front of the net and stayed there, he won faceoffs, and he mucked and ground enough to take a 2-minute roughing penalty at the 60-minute mark) as Austria lost 2-1 to Kazakhstan.

Unser Herren-Nationalteam 🇦🇹 muss sich Kasachstan 🇰🇿 geschlagen geben und verpasst somit die Qualifikation für Olympia 2026.
Das Tor 🥅 für unser Team 🇦🇹 erzielt Raphael Herburger.#ÖEHV #heißaufeis pic.twitter.com/QWDXSyTCHC

— Österreichischer Eishockeyverband (@eishockey_aut) August 30, 2024

Austria plays their final qualification game vs. Hungary on Monday, but as the Kazakhs have already won 2 games, it may not matter unless goal differential comes into play.

Update: The Austrian Ice Hockey Association’s website confirms that the Austrian team is out of the running for a 2026 Olympic spot.