High tension in German ice hockey. Who will make it to the DEL final? Fall of favorites in the DEL 2? Augsburg maybe still in the DEL? Questions fans are asking after the fourth playoff games in DEL and DEL 2.
Wolfsburg versus Munich. Bayern beat Lower Saxony 3-1 in front of a full house (4503 spectators) and thus equalized 2-2 in the semi-final series. Ultimately, a deserved victory for the main round first from Bavaria. Munich the more active team and with the overall better chances. However: The team of coach Don Jackson, who may end his successful career as head coach after the season and may be replaced by ex-national coach Toni Söderholm, had to work hard to win. Wolfsburg led 1-0 until the final third thanks to an Archibald goal before Ben Smith, Konrad Abeltshauser and Yasin Ehliz turned the game around. High speed and gripping duels characterized the good-class game. In the end, perhaps the larger squad, the “longer bench” decided the game in favor of Bayern Munich. Goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger: “We had to be patient and we succeeded.” Fact: The series (best of seven) goes over at least six games in any case. It continues on Saturday (3.15 p.m., MagentaSport).
Mannheim versus Ingolstadt. 13,600 spectators watch thrilling, fast and physically tough ice hockey in Mannheim’s SAP Arena. More is not possible. The Ingolstadt team was very offensive from the start, with playful advantages. Ingolstadt’s defender Leon Hüttl scored the only goal of the evening (21). So it remained the case that in this semi-final duel all games so far have gone to the away team. “It’s hard to win without a goal. In general, we didn’t create enough offensively,” criticized Mannheim’s assistant coach Marcel Goc at MagentaSport. “We know we have to step it up a notch.” Outstanding on the Mannheim side: striker Taro Jentzsch, who will leave the Adler at the end of the season and join another DEL club. In the Ingolstadt ranks, goalkeeper Kevin Reich and strikers Justin Feser and Frederik Storm, who is moving to Cologne for the new season, are particularly noteworthy
Mannheim striker David Wolf, who was suspended for an unfair fight with Daniel Pietta from Ingolstadt, watched the game for a while in the midst of the spectators. The DEL banned Wolf for three games in the second duel. Wolf can play again in game six on Easter Monday. Game 5 takes place on Saturday from 6 p.m. (MagentaSport live).
OF 2-Playoffs. There are big surprises here. Krefeld lost 5:4 in overtime against Ravensburg. The Rhinelanders had already led 4:1 in the final third. At 3-1 in the series, Ravensburg now only needs one win for the final and the favorite is out.
The Red Devils from Bad Nauheim also have match pucks. They’re the biggest upset of the league playoffs. Bad Nauheim’s ex-DEL player Daniel Weiß (German champion with Berlin) scored the winning goal to make it 1-0 in game four against the first in the main round and top favorite Kassel Huskies. Outstanding: Nauheim’s goalkeeper Felix Bick (formerly among others Düsseldorfer EG). It’s all or nothing for Kassel in Saturday’s home game. Winning or the dream of promotion to the DEL burst.
Interesting: If Ravensburg and Bad Nauheim move into the DEL 2 final, the Augsburg Panthers will remain in the DEL and therefore first class. Because only Kassel and Krefeld are eligible and have submitted the required documents.
