View source for Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga

{{Infobox sports league 
|logo= DEBL.jpg
|pixels=120px 
|sport=Ice Hockey
|teams=6
|founded=1998
|country=[[File:Flag of Austria.svg.png|20px]] [[Austria]]
|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 [[Austrian Ice Hockey Association]]. Austria had 644 female players in 2011.<ref>IIHF, http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/countries/austria.html</ref>

== 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 neighboring [[Slovenia]].

==Championship record==
{|cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;"
|+ '''Season by season'''
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" align="center"
! scope="col" | Season
! scope="col" width=175 | Staatsmeisterschaft
! scope="col" width=175 | Dameneishockey-Bundesliga
|-
| 1998-99 ||colspan=2 align="center"| [[Gipsy Girls Villach]]
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1999-00 ||colspan=2 align="center"| [[Gipsy Girls Villach]]
|-
| 2000-01 ||colspan=2 align="center"| [[EHC Vienna Flyers]]
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2001-02 ||colspan=2 align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]
|-
| 2002-03 ||colspan=2 align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2003-04 ||colspan=2 align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]
|-
| 2004-05 ||colspan=2 align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2005-06 ||align="center"| [[Ravens Salzburg|EC The Ravens Salzburg]] ||align="center"| [[Red Angels Innsbruck]]
|-
| 2006-07 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]||align="center"| [[Gipsy Girls Villach]]
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2007-08 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]] ||align="center"| [[DEC Dragons Klagenfurt]]
|-
| 2008-09 ||align="center"| [[Ravens Salzburg|EC The Ravens Salzburg]] ||align="center"| [[HK Merkur Triglav Kranj]] 
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2009-10 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]] ||align="center"| [[SPG Kitzbühel/Salzburg]]
|-
| 2010-11 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]] <ref>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.</ref> ||align="center"| [[Neuberg Highlanders]]
|-
| 2011-12 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]  ||align="center"| [[Neuberg Highlanders]]
|-
| 2012-13 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]  ||align="center"| [[Neuberg Highlanders]]
|-
| 2013-14 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]  ||align="center"| [[Gric Zagreb]]
|-
| 2014-15 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]  ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]] II
|-
| 2015-16 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]  ||align="center"| [[HK Triglav]]
|-
| 2016-17 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]  ||align="center"| [[KMH Budapest]] II
|-
| 2017-18 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]  ||align="center"| [[HK Triglav]]
|-
| 2018-19 ||align="center"| [[EHV Sabres Vienna]]  ||align="center"| [[Ferencvárosi TC]]
|}

{|cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;"
|+ '''Leading teams'''
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" align="center"
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" width=175 | Team
! scope="col" width=50 | Titles
|-
| 1 || [[EHV Sabres Vienna]] ||align="center"| 16
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2 || [[Ravens Salzburg|EC The Ravens Salzburg]] ||align="center"| 2
|-
| - || [[Gipsy Girls Villach]] ||align="center"| 2
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 4 || [[EHC Vienna Flyers]] ||align="center"| 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.<ref> [http://www.dameneishockey.org/default.aspx?SIId=274 "DEBL II – Austragungsmodus"] (description of 2nd league format), ÖEHV Women"s Ice Hockey website</ref>

{|cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: left; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;"
|+ '''Regular season champions'''
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" align="center"
! scope="col" | Season
! scope="col" width=175 | Champion
|-
| 2004-05 || [[Kundl Crocodiles]]
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2005-06 || [[EHV Sabres Vienna 2]]
|-
| 2006-07 || [[EC The Ravens Salzburg 2]]
|-bgcolor="#FFFFCC"
| ||
|-bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2009-10 || [[FTC Eagles Budapest]] {{HUN}}
|-
| 2010-11 || [[EC "Die Adler" Kitzbühel]]
|-
| 2011-12 || [[Neuberg Highlanders]] II
|-
| 2012-13 || [[DEC Devils Graz]]
|-
| 2013-14 || [[DEC Devils Graz]]
|-
| 2014-15 || Kitzbuhel/Kufstein
|-
| 2015-16 || [[HDK Maribor]]
|-
| 2016-17 || Red Angels Innsbruck
|-
| 2017-18 || DEC Dragons Klagenfurt
|-
| 2018-19 || Red Angels Innsbruck
|}

==See also==
* [[Women's Austrian National Team]]
* [[Elite Women's Hockey League]] (EWHL)
* [[Ravens Salzburg]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* ''This article incorporates information from the French and German Wikipedias.''

{{Women's European Ice Hockey Leagues}}
{{DEBL seasons}}
[[Category:Women's ice hockey leagues]]