Ice hockey: Krefeld penguins are worried about the DEL return despite their success

As of: April 24, 2026 • 10:17 p.m

The Krefeld Penguins won the title in the second ice hockey league DEL2 and were promoted. It is still unclear whether they will actually return to the DEL.

The KEV beat the Kassel Huskies 5:2 (0:1, 2:1, 3:0) on Friday evening and also won this best-of-seven series 4:0. In the previous two rounds, Krefeld had already prevailed with a “sweep” against EV Landshut and Eisbären Regensburg.

The main round champions thus underlined their superiority in the playoffs this season and celebrated an impressive title win at the end.

Gogulla with a three-pack

In a balanced first third, the Huskies used their first advantage to make it 1-0 through Yannik Valenti (17th). Shortly after the start of the second period, Tristan Keck increased the lead to 2-0 for the home team (24th). After a scoreless power play on both sides, the Penguins got back into the game through Philip Gogulla. The striker equalized 2-2 with two goals within 44 seconds (37th/38th).

In the final third, Krefeld initially survived a phase of being outnumbered, only to then take the lead through Zack Dybowski (47′). Marcel Müller increased the score to 4:2 in the 53rd minute and finally put the penguins on the winning path. Gogulla’s third goal of the evening made the final score 5-2 (58th).

KEV managing director optimistic about advancement

It is still unclear whether the penguins will be able to secure promotion to the top German league financially. On the sidelines of the third game against Kassel, KEV managing director Peer Schopp recently expressed optimism that he would be able to deposit the necessary 1.4 million euros for the licensing process in the DEL.

“I have to say that we now have a lot of support and a lot of support from the shareholders. And I am very confident that we will overcome this hurdle,” explained Schopp in an interview with WDR on Tuesday. “I would say we are at a 60:40 scenario. I still can’t promise it 100 percent. But we are definitely on a very, very good path.”

Dresden hopes for it DEL relegation

Krefeld had applied for promotion before the season, but expressed concerns a few weeks ago as to whether the financial requirements could be met. The Krefeld residents must make a final decision by the end of the deadline for DEL license documents on May 17, 2027. If the penguins do without, the Dresden Ice Lions will remain in the first division as a sporting DEL relegated team.

Our sources:

Broadcast: WDR.de“Krefeld penguins are DEL2 champions”, April 24, 202610:17 p.m