In the end, the forces dwindled: Just 24 hours after the last semi-final, defending champion Eisbären Berlin lost a 3-0 lead in the first playoff final of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). Challenger Red Bull Munich won 4: 3 (0: 2, 3: 1, 1: 0) at the record champions and took the first step towards his fourth title.
Kevin Clark (12th), Zach Boychuk (15th) and Leo Pföderl (21st) gave the Berlin team a 3-0 lead. Patrick Hager (30th/32nd) and Ben Smith (35th) equalized for Munich, who went into the final series much more rested. Zach Redmond (55th) made the decision in front of 10,015 spectators.
Three wins are necessary in the best-of-five series to win the DEL Silver Cup.
High load in the DEL
The strain, especially for the Berliners, is extreme: The decisive 3-0 victory in the fifth semi-final against Adler Mannheim was not even 22 hours ago when the puck fell on the ice for the first final.
And it goes on like this: After the second duel on Sunday (3.15 p.m.) in Munich, game three is already on Monday (7.30 p.m.) – for the polar bears a total of four games in five days.
The background: Because of the numerous corona infections and game postponements, the main round was extended by a week. Because the World Cup in Finland begins on May 13, the playoffs are being pushed through at an unprecedented pace. This is a glaring disadvantage for the defending champion. Challenger Munich, who defeated runner-up Grizzlys Wolfsburg in three games in the semifinals, has not played since Sunday.
Eisbären Berlin have a strong start
Nevertheless, the hosts started well and also had good chances. Clark used one of them to lead after former Munich international Philip Gogulla lost the puck in his own third. The first power play made it 2-0 – Boychuk scored his sixth playoff goal.
“It fits so far,” said Pföderl after the first third, when asked about the strain on “MagentaSport”, “it’s the final.” Munich seemed surprised, even though Red Bull manager Christian Winkler said: “You can’t get tired of winning.” Nevertheless, he called the final dates “extremely unfortunate”.
Only 43 seconds after the restart, Pföderl acted and increased to 3:0. Hager’s brace brought Bayern back into the game. After the equalizer, the polar bears saved themselves with difficulty in the second third break.