A difficult game awaits the polar bears in Ingolstadt: No more fun! – Sports

From an entertainment point of view, it’s a shame. The northern group of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL), which was divided into two parts this season, was always very entertaining.

There were lots of funny questions about the game days in the triangle of Bremerhaven, Berlin and Cologne. When would the Krefeld Penguins change their trainer again? Or when will the Germans Pinguins Bremerhaven bring in their next player from the USA? Are the Kölner Haie back in such a legendary series of defeats as in the previous season? And can the polar bears actually lose? But now the fun is over, gearing round is the order of the day, north against south in the DEL. And that was one-sided at first. The South won seven games in nine games, with a total goal difference of 39:19.

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In addition to an astonishing 3-2 for the Düsseldorfer EG against RB Munich, the Eisbären alone were able to hold their own against a team from the south, on Sunday at a 5-3 against the Augsburg Panthers. Before the merging of the groups, the Berliners were sovereign first in the north and are now seen by many as a serious competitor of the Adler Mannheim, who dominate the group south.

But now the polar bears will first have to prove themselves against a team like ERC Ingolstadt on Wednesday (6.15 p.m., live on Magentasport). Marcel Noebels, currently top scorer of the Eisbären and DEL, says: “I think Ingolstadt is one of the favorites this year, they have played a very good season so far. We have to play our best game to get points. ”

The sporting differences are not really surprising. In the Northern group, some of the teams stumbled into the season, which had been on the brink for a long time. In Krefeld the team was practically put together again after the preparation, in Cologne they had no preparation. The situation was similar with the Iserlohn Roosters, who have already changed their coaches.

The polar bears are doing very well by comparison. In this respect, they should be able to hold their own overall in the north versus south comparison – even if it becomes more demanding for them. Marcel Noebels sees it that way too: “Of course we will now also meet teams that we will not beat by four or five goals. I think Augsburg was a good foretaste of the next games that await us now. ”

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