The eisbären around captain Frank Hördler did not get more than 2:4 in Nürnberg Photo: Thomas Hahn/Sportfoto Zink/picture alliance
By Joerg Lubrich
There’s still a lot of room for improvement, polar bears! The champions messed up their season opener in the DEL and lost 4-2 to the Nuremberg Ice Tigers.
The best thing about the whole game: Polar bear captain Frank Hördler (37) and his son Eric (18) are on the ice for the first time in a DEL game. When Frank became German champion for the first time in 2005, Eric was only eight months old. The captain’s filius after the game: “It was an indescribable feeling to be on the ice with my father. I will always remember this day. I’m just proud.”
Get in the game: There is no high-class ice hockey to be seen in Nuremberg. The newcomers from Berlin remain pale except for defender Julian Melchiorie. Leo Pöderl (groin), Yannick Veilleux (knee) and Brendan Guhle (concussion) are also absent through injury.
After goals from Stoa (33′) and Clark (38′), it’s an even game. But 15 seconds before the second break, Reimer made it 1:2 (40th). Ex-Eisbär Parlett (23rd) and Fox (54th) even increase it to 1:4. Noebels then marked the 2: 4 (57th) with a majority.
Goalkeeper Tobias Ancicka is not responsible for the opening defeat. The people in front of him don’t clean up enough in front of his box.
