By Oliver Knack
Show time! Highnoon! After months of trembling, this weekend is about everything for the polar bears, after all the DEL title defenders. Can they defend the championship? Or won’t they even make the playoffs?
In order to still reach the final round, they have to jump from twelfth to tenth place. The starting position is clear: On Friday, the polar bears (12th) have to win in Augsburg (14th) in order to reach the top 10 in their home game against Schwenningen (11th) on Sunday. But the view goes to Frankfurt (10th). Are the Lions stumbling?
The DEL table 2022/23 before the last two matchdays. Photo: del.org
The rest of the program
Polar Bears Berlin: In Augsburg (14th), against Schwenningen (11th)
Schwenningen: Against the Kölner Haie (7th), at the Eisbären (12th)
Frankfurt Lions: In Nuremberg (9th), against Augsburg (14th)
That certainly speaks for the Berliners. However, the troupe of coaches Serge Aubin has repeatedly made notable gaffes in recent months.
A scary low point was certainly the 2: 6 embarrassment at the defeated last Bietigheim almost three weeks ago.
Eisbären trainer Serge Aubin accused his team of a lack of passion during Sunday’s defeat in Bremerhaven. His team only got one point there Photo: picture alliance/ Eibner Presse
But there have also been numerous highlights against top teams recently. Without the convincing victories against Ingolstadt (5:1) and in Mannheim (5:2), the defending champion would no longer be in the running.
But Frankfurt has the best cards for the last playoff place: Two points more than the polar bears, plus the game in Nuremberg on Friday. The IceTigers are already safe in the playoffs and will probably not fight back to the utmost. And on the last day of the game, the Lions could make everything clear at home against Augsburg.
What happens if there is a tie?
Then the goal difference counts. Since the polar bears (-11) have the better cards compared to Frankfurt (-17). Schwenningen (-7) is in a better position – but the WildWings can overtake the polar bears on their own. If the goal difference is also the same, the number of goals scored is decisive. Here, lions and polar bears are currently tied with 153 hits each.
Either way: the table is set for an extremely exciting main round finale. Let’s see if the polar bears are sitting at the table…