Hope is alive: Fischtown Pinguins sweep Mannheim off the ice

As of: March 31, 2026 • 11:40 p.m

The Bremerhaven team beat the Adler 6:1 (1:0, 3:1, 2:0) – and thus averted the play-off exit. For the Penguins it was the first win in the fourth duel of the quarterfinal series.

The Penguins had a really great day on Tuesday. Especially in the second third, the Bremerhaven team impressed with strong and, above all, efficient ice hockey. A total of six different Fischtown professionals got on the scoresheet in front of a sold-out crowd: CJ Smith (1:0), Akito Hirose (2:1), Matthew Abt (3:1), Colt Conrad (4:1), Nico Krämmer (5:1) and Phillip Bruggisser (6:1).

Thanks to the win, the score in the quarterfinal series (best-of-seven) is now 1:3 from Fischtown’s perspective. The two teams will meet for the fifth time on Thursday. Then back in Mannheim. A defeat would mean elimination for the Penguins.

Hungerecker prevents Mannheim’s lightning start

It took eleven seconds until Mannheim had their first big chance. But Fischtown goalie Leon Hungerecker was able to avert the early deficit by blocking Luke Esposito’s shot with his pad.

A lively, promising game then developed. Hungerecker shone repeatedly on one side, while Mannheim’s goalkeeper Maximilian Franzreb made a save on the other. After 17 minutes, the first impact came: with a cross pass, Fischtown striker Andy Miele found the incoming CJ Smith, who pushed the puck in. At the end of the first third, the crowd rose to its feet and hopes for their first win against Mannheim grew.

Penguins overwhelm unsorted eagles

However, the middle third started with a setback. Hungerecker initially parried Leon Gawanke’s shot, and Justin Schütz maneuvered the rebound over the goal line with his skate (23rd minute of the game). The referees looked at the situation again on the monitor. Ultimately, the hit stood up to the video check.

The 1-1 equalizer seemingly gave the Eagles wings. In the minutes that followed, the Mannheim team found themselves stuck in Bremerhaven’s third without converting their superiority into a goal. That took revenge: Akito Hirose gave the Penguins the lead again with a shot into the far corner (23′).

Immediately afterwards, Nicholas B. Jensen made it 3-1 with a brilliant shot from a central position that hit the crossbar. But there was no time for quarreling, as Matthew Abt added the third Fischtown goal (32nd), and two minutes later Colt Conrad scored the fourth (34th).

Bruggisser slides into the empty goal

With a deserved and comfortable lead we went into the final third – and that started with a double blow: Nico Krämmer scored the fifth goal, his colleague Phillip Bruggisser the sixth (44th). The defender converted the puck from his own baseline into the opponent’s empty box.

A final goal worth seeing in an entertaining game, but one that was far from over: Driven by Mannheim’s frustration, there were repeated brawls on the ice. The referees handed out several penalty times to both teams and sent seven players to the locker room early. The Bremerhaven players and fans had to be patient until the home win was finalized – whereupon cheers broke out in the ice arena.

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