DEL final series: 7-0! Eisbears take the lead after winning over Cologne

After the 5-1 win in the first final game against the Cologne Haie, the Eisbären Berlin also won the second home game of the series. Again it became clear. Also thanks to a new record player.

The Eisbären Berlin won the third final game for the German Ice Hockey Championship and beat the Cologne Haie 7-0 (2: 0, 3: 0, 2: 0). The defending champion in the best-of-Seven series leads with 2-1 victories and therefore needs two more successes to make the overall victory perfect. The next game will take place on April 23 (7:30 p.m., live at RBB | 24-audio stream) in Cologne.

“This duel in the final is a gift for German ice hockey”

In the DEL final series there is a showdown between the Eisbären Berlin and the Cologne Haien. Expert Rick Goldmann talks about the Berlin dominance, difference players on both sides and the ice hockey boom in Germany.more

Recordman Pföderl

In the arena at the Ostbahnhof, sold out with 14,200 spectators, the polar bears made it clear from the start 5: 1 success of the first final game, because on the 1: 2 defeat want to build in game two. Both teams should be statistically at eye level, at least in the first third of the game. The perceived truth, however, quickly saw the polar bears as the dominant team.

With the first power play of the encounter, this truth was also reflected in the score. After preliminary work by Jonas Müller and Ty Ronning, who was able to book a scorer point for himself early in the 26th game (expansion of his DEL record), it was Leonhard Pföderl who brought the puck over the line with a massive spacer (7th minute).

Just three minutes later it was Pföderl again who got the 2-0 for the Berliners. A special hit in two ways. On the one hand because he was outnumbered by Frederik Tiffels after a nice pass. On the other hand, because it was the 45th playoff goal in Leonhard Pföderl’s career, who thus hired Patrick Reimer’s previous DEL record.

“At every puck first”

Whatever the guests from Cologne had made at the beginning of the second third, it only lasted 66 seconds. Then Ty Ronning pulled undisturbed from the gang towards the middle and transformed with fantastic certainty to 3: 0 (22nd). At the latest when polar bear goalkeeper Jake Hildebrand parried a shooting attempt by Cologne Maximilian Kammerer shortly afterwards, in reverse slides and by balancing act, the game seemed to be finally in the direction of home win. The polar bear fans chanted the name of the polar bear professional Tobias Eder, who died in the course of the season. And Cologne’s Adam Almquist recorded in a break at the microphone of the TV station Magenta Sport: “They are first. They are just better straight.”

It was even better for Leonhard Pföderl, who, after Ty Ronning’s dream pass, shot down from a short distance to 4: 0 (29th), who scored the 46th playoff goal of his career and is therefore the sole DEL record holder in this category. Cologne reacted, changed the goalkeeper and immediately received the fifth goal. After a catastrophic misunderstanding on the defensive and good forechecking of the polar bears, Yannick Veilleux stood free in front of the goal and had little effort to hit (30th).

“We want to do it for Tobias and with him”

With a furious playoff performance, the polar bears have moved into the final series. In an interview, Kai Wissmann talks about the reasons for the performance boost, which is what matters now and how the death of Tobias Eder has shaped the team.more

Berlin dominates in every respect

The Cologne team could not buy, even then, when the Berliners increasingly let the rear ranks on the ice in the certainty of the clear leadership. Instead, fresh forces and a power play for the polar bears went into the final third, which after 84 seconds led to 6: 0 by Lean Bergmann, who was on hand after a post by Liam Kirk and pressed the rebound into the network.

Berlin dominated in all areas and everyone, even without their captain Kai Wissmann injured on the wrist. And despite the more than safe guided tour, it simply didn’t decrease. Whether in simple or double outnumbered, in five against five or even more in the power play – the polar bears presented themselves as an absolute title candidate in every game phase and situation. Which should come to 7-0 in the 57th minute and in the power play. A deflected shooting attempt by Jonas Müller turned into the net and put the end of the end under a memorable ice hockey game.

The game in the live ticker

Sending: RBB | 24 Inforadio, April 21, 2025, 5:15 p.m.