German ice hockey league
EHC Munich celebrates champion comeback: “A tough job”
EHC Red Bull Munich won the DEL final series. photo
© Ulrich Gamel/Kolbert-Press/dpa
The gripping ice hockey final series between Munich and Ingolstadt is decided after the fifth game. The EHC celebrates its fourth championship title. Record coach Jackson cheers with tears in his eyes.
Don Jackson happily raised his arms in the air when Andreas Eder scored the majority goal – and a few minutes later the DEL record coach held the winner’s trophy happily and emotionally after the Munich ice hockey triumph.
In a tight fifth playoff final, favorite EHC Red Bull Munich defeated strong challenger ERC Ingolstadt 3-1 (1-1, 0-0, 2-0) on Sunday. In the golden shower of confetti, captain Patrick Hager lifted the trophy towards the ceiling of the hall to the cheers of the fans. “We finally got our reward,” said Hager.
Right winger Eder made it 2-1 in the final period before Filip Varejcka finally decided the game in the 59th minute with his goal into the empty Ingolstadt goal. The guests had already taken goalkeeper Jonas Stettmer off the ice to force an extension. There is no longer a sixth final game in Ingolstadt.
“Incredible! Beautiful! It doesn’t feel real yet. We’re just celebrating now. The last final is usually the most difficult one,” said Fredrik Tiffels at MagentaSport. It was 74 games until the crowning of the season. 2:1, 7:1, 3:4, 3:0 and 3:1 were the results from Munich’s point of view in the great final series between the two clubs from Upper Bavaria.
Hard and intense game
For Munich it was the first championship after the titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and then two lost series of finals. And for the 66-year-old American Jackson, once champion maker at the Eisbären Berlin, it was the ninth DEL title win. The record coach wiped his wet eyes with a “Deutscher Meister” winning cap on his head.
After the award ceremony, he treated himself to a sip of beer before stepping in front of the supporters with the trophy. The players took him on their shoulders, “Don Jackson” calls echoed through the ice rink. The future of the success coach is open. “Every title is emotional and incredible. It’s always a tough job,” Jackson said from the rink below in cheers around him. But now is not the time to talk about his future, he said.
In front of the 5728 spectators, things on the ice were tough and intense right from the start. The Ingolstadt team wanted to force a sixth final with full physical effort. And the EHC must cheer in front of its fans after the Eisbären Berlin were able to win the title perfectly in Munich in the 2022 final series. “If there’s another celebration in this hall, then it’s us,” said EHC sports director Christian Winkler before the first face-off.
The Ingolstadt team did not wait and see, but aggressively. Ty Ronning scored after a pass that landed happily in front of his racket from the Munich goal posts. National goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger, who was so highly praised for his performance in Munich’s victory in the fourth final game, looked unhappy. By the way, Niederberger managed the championship hat-trick after moving from Berlin to Munich last summer. “We’re just happy that we won. It’s overwhelming to be champions three times in a row. It takes a lot of energy,” said the 30-year-old international.
Ingolstadt defends itself – Munich strikes late
Munich’s Maximilian Kastner woke up his team after going behind: After a hard check against Wojciech Stachowiak, Kastner had to go to the penalty box. When the attacker came back, he promptly made it 1-1 (13th). “It’s physically good, but it’s still fun,” commented Kastner during the second break. The 30-year-old was later named MVP, i.e. the best player in the final series.
Ingolstadt’s third goalkeeper, the young Jonas Stettmer, saved his team from falling behind with a few saves in the middle section, especially when they were outnumbered. In the final third it was more and more towards the decisive action. And that came in a majority situation: Right winger Eder hit the near corner after 51 minutes and 53 seconds. The 26-year-old was crowned the final match winner. It was also the decision in the exciting coaching duel between Jackson and his Ingolstadt challenger Mark French (51).
His team acted on an equal footing in the last final game, but it wasn’t enough to win the title for the second time after 2014. “It’s hard to accept,” French said. “We were close. I can promise one thing, we’ll try again next year,” said striker Daniel Pietta. He congratulated the champion fairly: “Munich played an outstanding season.”