With a 2: 1 (0: 0, 1: 0, 0: 1, 1: 0) victory after extra time in the decisive final game against the Ravensburg Towerstars, the Dresden Eislöwen secured a place in the DEL for the first time. Düsseldorfer eG is finally no longer part of the highest German ice hockey league. Because Danny from the birch trees in the Dresden goal shone like the 2018 Olympic Games.
Ravensburg was the only chance for DEG at the beginning of the playoffs in the DEL2 because it was the only of the other teams that had not applied for a license for the top league. The Towerstars had been sporty two years earlier, but had not previously reported for the DEL. It was the same last season with the Eisbären Regensburg – both times the Augsburg Panther benefited.
Ravensburg brings to despair from the birches
This scenario was also the hope of the Düsseldorfers, who had won 3-0 against the Grizzly Wolfsburg 53 days before the decisive final game, but could no longer leave the last place. And Ravensburg also fed this hope with a furious start in the decision -making game. In the first round, the tower stars had made the turn after two starting defeats, each caught up 1: 3 in the following two rounds and Dresden also led 3: 1 – but the hosts seemed as if they had the better final sprint again.
But the Eislöwen from Saxony had a goalkeeper who simply couldn’t be conquered. From the birches showed that he still has a lot of the 2018 class when he led the German national team as a regular goalkeeper to the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Rio and was elected to the best goalie. In the first third, 16 attempts from Ravensburger parried from the birch trees, many of them outstanding, so it remained goalless after 20 minutes.
Eislöwen are getting stronger and meeting quickly
Dresden had major problems with the enormous pressure of the hosts, but with the certainty of such a strong soreness, the playful turn came. After an outstanding preparatory work by Dane Fox and Travis Turnbull, Bruno Riedl scored 1-0 for the Eislöwen (22nd) shortly after the restart, who dominated the game throughout the second third and left several big chances on another goal.
On the other hand, there was no longer as much in this section, but there were two or three outstanding situations from the birches – especially when he warded off a shot by Adam Payerl with the hinge hand (33.). After 40 out of 60 minutes, a lot looked like that Dresden could go into the DEL for the first time and that the DEG would push into the second class.
For 25 years “Dresden Eislöwen” – and soon officially DEL club
And so it came too. The association (then ESC Dresden) was founded in 1990, and the team has been playing as a Dresden Eislöwen ice hockey since 2000 – and now there was the greatest success of the club’s young history for the 25th anniversary of the name. It was there, although the TowerStars had managed to equalize very late.
Marc Eschweiler, Sportschau, 29.04.2025 11:14 p.m.
Robbie Czarnik was the man who defeated the birches to 30 parades, in the 55th minute the Ravensburger scored the 1-1 outnumbered and thus ensured great jubilation in Bavaria and over 500 kilometers north in Düsseldorf. However, Dresden saved himself into the extension – and came back there with the promotion stroke. Tomas Sykora made it in the 66th minute. And thus also for the final DEG party from the DEL.