The Eisbären Berlin suffered their first defeat against the Adler Mannheim on the fourth matchday of the German Ice Hockey League. DEG triumphed in the Rhenish derby in Cologne.
The Berliners lost 2:4 (1:2, 1:1, 0:1) in Mannheim on Sunday (September 24th, 2023). The Berliners offered an overall convincing performance, but despite goals from Zach Boychuk and Ty Ronning, they ended up without any points.
Quick, intense encounter
The 11,335 spectators in the Mannheim Arena saw a fast, intense encounter from the start, in which both teams consistently looked for the attack. Maximilian Eisenmenger scored early for the hosts, but Boychuk immediately equalized.
After less than six minutes, Matthias Plachta took the lead again in Mannheim’s first power play. The game then became more heated and despite good chances on both sides, no further goals were scored before the first break.
Bennett with the empty net goal
Just 38 seconds after the restart, Ronning managed to equalize the Berliners again, and Jyrki Jokipakka scored the Electoral Palatinate’s third goal in what was still a varied encounter. In the final period, the guests increased the pressure, but were unable to capitalize on their scoring opportunities.
Mannheim attacker Kris Bennett made the decision after Eisbären goalie Jake Hildebrand left the ice in favor of a sixth field player.
Düsseldorf wins after a penalty shootout in Cologne
The Kölner Haie suffered their first defeat of the season in the 240th Rhine derby against Düsseldorfer EG. On the fourth match day, the leaders had to admit defeat 3:4 (1:1, 0:0, 2:2, 0:0, 0:1) after a penalty shootout; the Haie had not lost a point before.
“It was a great comeback. Kudos to the team for always pushing on“, said DEG coach Thomas Dolak at MagentaSport: “We’re happy we got the extra point.” Sharks captain Moritz Müller said: “We were aware that it would be a very tight situation.”
Clark the decisive man
Cologne are still at the top of the table with ten points, DEG recorded their first points of the young season. Louis-Marc Aubry (41st) and Maximilian Kammerer (43rd) quickly made it 3-1 for the KEC after the second break; Carter Proft (12th) had previously equalized the DEG lead through Kohen Olischefski (9th).
Kevin Clark reduced the score to 2:3 for Düsseldorf (54′), Luis Üffing equalized (56′) and forced overtime. In the shootout, Clark secured the decision in the eighth round and became a derby hero.