In the DEL, the Adler Mannheim lost 2:4 against the Nürnberg Ice Tigers on Sunday. It was the fourth defeat in a row. The international break comes at the right time for the Electoral Palatinate team.
Everything was actually set up for a big ice hockey party. Great atmosphere on Adler Family Day among the 13,600 spectators in the packed Mannheim Arena, including numerous young fans. Plus the award for Matthias Plachta’s 750th DEL game before the first face-off – by the way, everyone was wearing the Mannheim jersey. And then, from a sporting point of view, the hosts poured water into the wine of the celebration with a weak performance and the fourth defeat in a row.
Fourth Eagles defeat in series
“For the last ten minutes we played what we can and want to play. But we have to play that for 60 minutes,” said Adler goalie Maximilian Franzreb in an interview with SWR Sport after the 2:4 against Nuremberg. There was a lack of efficiency on offense and the Electoral Palatinate team acted too passively in defense. “If you don’t play your game for 60 minutes, it will be difficult to win in this league. That also applies to us,” said the national goalkeeper.
The Eagles fired around 50 shots at the Nuremberg goal in 60 minutes. Keeper Franzreb’s counterpart Niklas Treutle was only defeated twice. Not enough to end Mannheim’s series of defeats. The missed penalty from the other goalscorer Justin Schütz is symptomatic. The naturalness of scoring goals that was so amazing at the start of the season has been lost.
After the fantastic start to the season by the team, which was newly formed in numerous positions and the confident lead in the DEL table, the Adler have recently lost four times in a row. You have to know that before the Nuremberg game, the Electoral Palatinate team were away against top-class competition three times within just a few days: in Ingolstadt, with champions Berlin and in Munich. With the game against the Ice Tigers, they play four exhausting games in one week.
German Cup with six Mannheimers
The DEL’s international break around the Germany Cup (November 5th – 9th in Landshut) may come at just the right time to physically and mentally recharge the exhausted Adler batteries. Even that is relative: with goalkeeper Maxi Franzreb, defenders Lukas Kälble and Leon Gawanke as well as strikers Justin Schütz, Marc Michaelis and Yannick Proske, there are six Mannheimers in national coach and Adler legend Harold Kreis’ national squad. Kristian Reichel was appointed to the Czech Republic team.
How good are the Eagles actually?
The question arises after 17 games and the first third of the season: Did the Eagles play beyond their means with their winning streak at the start of the round (nine wins in ten games)? Or is the team, which is full of illustrious names, currently performing below its potential? Probably a bit of both. In any case, coach Dallas Eakins had a memorable, almost philosophical sentence ready at the press conference after the Nuremberg game: “It’s never as good as it looks, but it’s never as bad as it looks either.”
The top teams Munich and Berlin also have problems
However. Despite their recent series of defeats, the Mannheimers are currently still second in the table behind the surprise leader Straubing. And the other two top teams from Munich (sixth place) and defending champion Berlin (eighth place) are still experiencing a lot of inconsistency in the current season. After all: purely statistically speaking, the Eagles still lead the rankings with the best power play.
However, the team recently showed surprising weaknesses when they were outnumbered. But that may also have something to do with the fact that two of the best defensive strikers, national players Tom Kühnhackl and Alex Ehl, have been missing injured for a few weeks.
Keeper Franzreb: “Work even harder”
“We are sometimes good in the game, but only in phases. If opponents take advantage of that when we sleep for a short time, then it becomes difficult,” says Adler keeper Franzreb, analyzing the recent negative run in an interview with SWR Sport, “now we have to develop the good habits in training that we had before the four defeats. We have to work even harder, then the luck will come back again.”
Restart at Neighborhood duel in Frankfurt
The best opportunity to force luck again will be after the international break on November 14th (7.30 p.m.) with the explosive and, above all, prestigious neighborhood duel in Frankfurt. After the Lions’ surprising overtime victory in Mannheim at the end of September (2:3), the Eagles still have a big score to settle against the Hessians.
Broadcast on Sunday, November 2nd, 2025, 7:45 p.m., SWR Aktuell Baden-Württemberg, SWR BW
