5-0 in Munich
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Eisbären Berlin German champions for the ninth time
Wed 04.05.22 | 9:53 p.m. | Of
The Eisbären Berlin are again German ice hockey champions. The defending champions prevailed in the final series with a total of 3:1 victories against EHC Red Bull Munich. In the decisive game, the goalkeeper once again convinced.
The Eisbären Berlin have defended their title and are German ice hockey champions for the ninth time. Coach Serge Aubin’s team won game four of the final series 5-0 at EHC Red Bull Munich on Wednesday evening and thus secured the decisive third win in the best-of-five series. Matt White (9th, 37th and 59th minute), Frans Nielsen (25th) and Marcel Noebels (26th) scored the goals for the Berliners.
Hördler’s dream pass
From the start, the game held what the previous final encounters had promised. Both teams offered high-class, technically demanding ice hockey with high speed and a low error rate over the entire duration of the game.
The hosts got into the game much better. Bayern dominated the early stages and supposedly took the lead. But the goal was rightly denied recognition because the goalkeeper was disabled. In return, the polar bears did it better. Frank Hördler sent Matt White on his way with a dream pass from his own third against Bayern Munich, who passed his opponent at high speed and safely put the puck under the crossbar to take the lead.
Munich were not at all shocked at first, continued to play happily forward, but found fewer and fewer means against attentive polar bears. Accordingly, Kai Wissmann was also satisfied during the third break on the MagentaSport microphone: “We work very hard at the back, all five. Nobody leaves the zone until the puck is out.” Once an attacker got through and shot on goal, time and time again there seemed no way around the once again outstanding Eisbären goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger.
The polar bears are mercilessly effective
A picture that continued in the second third. Furthermore, little happened in the neutral zone and a lot in front of the respective goals. But while the polar bears continued to keep the zero at the back, they struck ice cold at the front. And with a relentless double whammy. Nielsen (25th) and Noebels (26th) also showed their individual class and efficiency. Above all, Marcel Noebels’ long-range goal to make it 3-0, which hit the inside post and from there into the goal with pinpoint accuracy, was of the highest quality. And while Mathias Niederberger once again destroyed a top-class player in the 35th minute, Nielsen deflected decisively to make it 4-0 shortly before the end of the second period. A hit that left Munich visibly shocked.
In addition to Munich’s hardly existing belief in a turnaround, the polar bears also played it sovereign in the final third. The guests had everything under control without taking too many risks. Sometimes they chose a calm play structure from behind, sometimes they simply chased the puck forward to relieve themselves in order to rearrange themselves defensively. The last few minutes of this decisive final game became a kind of show for the old and new German champions, who even managed an empty net goal in the final minute.
Polar bears break record
By winning the title again, the polar bears now have a total of nine championships in the DEL, which was founded in 1994. This means that the Berliners are still the record winners ahead of the Adler Mannheim with seven successes. This year’s success in the final series is also remarkable because coach Serge Aubin’s team after the hard-fought semi-final series against Mannheim had to go into the first final game the very next day. But last but not least, the experience of each of the 14 Eisbären professionals who were able to bring the championship to Berlin last year, as well as an outstanding defense by exceptional goalkeeper Niederberger, who remained without a goal for more than 100 minutes in the final series, ultimately made the difference out of.
Show: rbb24, May 4th, 2022, 10 p.m