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The Hannover Scorpions can feel like winners on Friday in the Oberliga Nord. After all, they were able to keep the second from the horse tower at a distance of 3: 2 in the tram duel. Then fearful opponent Herne fell on the nose in Leipzig and the secret favorite Crocodiles Hamburg was defeated by Erfurt, who are currently in top form.
Due to the pandemic, the game between the Tilburg Trappers and the Hammer Eisbären was canceled. The Dutch are currently only in seventh place. The Saale Bulls Hall, which was surprised in Krefeld and allowed the hosts to jump to penultimate place with these three points, was even worse. The red lantern is now held by the Rostockers, who are the only northern team that have not yet won a victory.
EC Hannover Indians – Hannover Scorpions 2:3 (1:0, 0:2, 1:1)
Almost 1,850 fans had taken advantage of a pay-TV provider to watch the derby. Both teams showed excellent fighting and technical performance and both proved to the audience that their top position is by no means a coincidence. Above all, the Scorpions, who started like a raid and pushed the Indians into their defensive zone with the same personnel, played as if there was no tomorrow. In this first phase of the game, the Indians could be happy that the defense and especially keeper David Zabolotny were wide awake and were able to prevent a deficit. Only from the tenth minute of the game did the Indians get better into the game, but the 1-0 came as a surprise. The decisive factor was a lightning-fast idea of the last new acquisition by the Indians, the young boy Ryan del Monte. The 17-year-old Canadian got the disc by chance behind the opponent’s goal and matched Jakob Ceglarski exactly, who scored the 1-0. The Indians, who also had to do without defensive ace Steven Raabe and Noah Nijenhuis in this game, both play at the U20 World Cup, came out of the dressing room much better in the second third, but were able to defend the Scorpions, which was similar to the game against Tilburg acted strongly, no longer really upset. Very important for the guests. In contrast to previous years, there is now a man standing between the posts who exudes an incredible calm and is really difficult to overcome. Brett Jaeger was, apart from the goal, always up to date and the Scorpions owe the three points mainly to him. From this safe position, the guests increased the pressure in the second third and were lucky in the 37th minute when Indians keeper Zabolotny did not get the schooner down in time when Christoph Koziol shot a low. With a 1-1 draw it went into the final third third and now the Scorpions showed themselves to be more determined, but had also leased the luck in the lead. Four seconds before an overpayment time expired, the championship leaders took the lead 2-1 through Christoph Kabitzky. The Indians tried to strike back, but repeatedly fell into individual actions that the Scorpions could easily intercept. When ex-Indian Roman Pfennings finally scored the 3-1 in the 53rd minute, the game seemed decided. But the Indians still had an arrow in their quiver and its name was not Bowles, Bulmer or Pohanka but Maximilian Pohl. The defense line, in the service of the Indians since 2013, provided a blueliner, which seemed durable, for the 2: 3 and another moment of tension. Indian coach Lenny Soccio promptly took his keeper off the ice 50 seconds before the end, but this option didn’t help either. In the end, the leader of the table had won the second and expanded his lead on the new table runner-up Leipzig to three points, and on the local rivals Indians even to five points.
Krefelder EV U23 – Saale Bulls Hall 5: 3 (0: 0, 3: 1, 2: 2)
The fact that the Krefeld team can no longer be compared with the team from last season was proven again in this game. After an evenly balanced first third without any scoring, the Bulls took the lead through Jannik Striepeke in the 29th minute, but this did not shock the Krefeld team. Michael Fomin countered with two goals in the 33rd and 35th minute of the game, which Maciel Rutkowski even made 3-1 in the 37th minute. Halle tried everything in the final third and was initially successful when Artur Tegkaev (42nd) and again Jannik Striepeke (52nd) equalized. The nervous Krefeld surprised with the 4: 3 in the 57th minute, scored by Leon Fern. Now Halle had to come and Krefeld was able to counter what Adam Kiedewicz (60th) successfully finished with a 5-3 win for twelve seconds.
Crocodiles Hamburg – Black Dragons Erfurt 3:5 (2:2, 1:1, 0:2)
In Hamburg, the Erfurt team delivered the next surprise. In the end, they more than honestly earned the three points, which you can read from the shot ratio (40:30). Arnoldas Bosas started the Erfurt scoring after four minutes of play. Yannis Walch equalized in the eighth minute and Dominik Lascheit brought the Elbestädter 2-1 in the twelfth minute. So far everything seemed to be going according to plan for the Crocodiles, but one of the best foreigners in the league, Erfurt’s Canadian Kevin Beach, equalized in the 19th minute. Once again, Hamburg hoped for three points when Michal Bezouska shot the hosts again in the lead in the 23rd minute, but the guests, who defended strongly and had excellent support in goalkeeper Konstantin Kessler, were equal again with Reto Schüpping (30th) out. In the last third it stayed 3: 3 until the 59th minute, then Erfurt’s Justus Böttner made long Hamburg faces with the fourth guest goal. Maurice Keil set the final point with the 5: 3, 13 seconds after the fourth Erfurt goal.
Icefighters Leipzig – Herner EV 4: 1 (1: 0, 1: 0, 2: 1)
Two teams, both of which had shown their capabilities in the last few weeks with great success, met in the Leipzig Kohlrabi circus. The Icefighters showed a strong and disciplined performance, while the Herner, despite the better shot ratio (31:23), went off the ice as the loser in the end. It was also important for the hosts that their first two goals came at psychologically important times. After just 114 seconds, Moritz Israel sank the target in the goal of the Herner keeper Jonas Neffin and Robin Slanina hit 108 seconds before the end of the second period. It got exciting in the 46th minute, when Nils Liesegang scored the next goal for Herner, but only three minutes later Hubert Berger scored the decisive 3-1. Already three minutes before the end, the Herner took their keeper off the ice but it should not help. On the contrary. Marvin Miethke scored in the final minute to make it 4-1.
Herford EV – EG Diez-Limburg 7: 8 (1: 4, 3: 3, 3: 1)
The spectators in Herford would have had enough of goals to see if they had been allowed to. It was to be expected that the ice hockey gourmet would have to make compromises. But there was a game to be admired that you don’t get to see every week in the top division. Diezer, who lost 3-2 at home to Herford on the first match day, wanted revenge and they started like the world champions, leading 3 after ten minutes after goals from Henry Wellhausen (5th, 11th) and Cheyne Matheson (9th): 0. Then Herford came into play. Christophe Lalonde (11th) and Ralf Rinke (21st) shortened, in between David Lademann (17th) had made the 4: 1, the score after the first third. When the Diezer RJ Reed, Henry Wellhausen and Cheyne Matheson increased to 7-2 between the 29th and 34th minute of the game, the Westphalians seemed to be on a direct route to a double-digit home defeat, but it only seemed that way. Now the Herford came back and made life difficult for the Diezers. Jörn Weikamp (36th) and Björn Bombis (38th) shortened to 4: 7. The late race to catch up continued in the third third. Ralf Rinke (45th) and Marius Garten (47th) again overcame Diezer keeper Jan Guryca and brought the HEV up to 6: 7. This exciting intermediate result lasted until the 60th minute of the game, then Marc-Alexander Stähle (60th) decided the game in favor of Diez-Limburg with the 8: 6. Philip Brinkmann’s seventh Herford goal came too late in the end.
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