ice Hockey
Bremerhaven wins main round title in the DEL
The Fischtown Pinguins go into the DEL playoffs as first in the table. photo
© Andreas Gora/dpa
Even the pursuer can’t stop the ice hockey surprise of the season. The club from northern Germany has a big advantage in the upcoming playoffs.
The Fischtown Pinguins from Bremerhaven have the main round championship in Germany Ice hockey league won.
On the last matchday of the regular season, the surprise team from Seestadt won the top game against second-placed Eisbären Berlin 2-1 (0-0, 2-0, 0-1) and went into the playoffs as first. As a result, the Penguins start with a home game in the knockout round up to the final and would always have home advantage even in a possible playoff.
The opponents in the playoff quarter-finals of the two best teams from the main round will be determined from the two pre-playoffs between Adler Mannheim against the Nürnberg Ice Tigers and Kölner Haie against ERC Ingolstadt. Mannheim clearly won the duel with the Haien 6:1 (2:1, 2:0, 2:0) and finished the regular season ahead of Cologne in seventh place. Ingolstadt defended ninth place with a 5:4 (3:0, 0:4, 1:0, 1:0) after extra time against Nuremberg. The Ice Tigers achieved the feat of turning 0:3 into 4:3 in just under four minutes in the second third.
Two quarter-final series have already been determined
The first of three possible pre-playoff games between Mannheim and Nuremberg and Ingolstadt and Cologne is scheduled for Sunday. Since the arena in Cologne is occupied on Sunday, the Rhinelanders will first visit the runner-up and will host the ERC in the second match on Wednesday.
Two quarter-final series have already been confirmed: The third-placed Straubing Tigers will welcome the Schwenninger Wild Wings from March 16th. The Grizzlys Wolfsburg in fourth place will face fifth-placed EHC Red Bull Munich. Above all, the highly ambitious Munich team disappointed at the end with a 4:5 (2:2, 1:3, 1:0) against the last Augsburg Panther. Straubing defeated Wolfsburg 6:3 (3:2, 0:0, 3:1).