The Lions Frankfurt are currently unlucky in the DEL. In the home game against Augsburg they are about to end their negative run, then an inaccuracy buries this hope. From a Hessian perspective, however, a league lower could be celebrated.
At the Löwen Frankfurt the knot just doesn’t want to break: In the home game against the Augsburg Panthers, the Hessians narrowly had to admit defeat 3:4 in overtime on Friday evening. It was the seventh defeat in the DEL in a row.
The Lions’ catch-up effort is not rewarded
They didn’t get off to a good start in the game either, as the guests took a 2-0 lead in the first third. But the Lions pulled themselves together and were able to equalize in the second half of the game with goals from Tommy Pasanen (30th) and Linus Fröberg (39th).
In the last 20 minutes it was a game of equals, with both teams more concerned about safety. After Matthew Wedman initially gave Frankfurt the lead with a goal on the power play (54th), Augsburg were lucky to equalize shortly afterwards: a shot bounced off the back of Löwen goalie Mirko Pantkowski and from there over the guard into the goal (56th).
So the decision had to be made in overtime. After an inaccurate pass from Lion attacker Carter Rowney, Augsburg’s DJ Busdeker reacted quickest, captured the target and worsened Frankfurt’s crisis with the goal to make it 4-3.
Victories for Kassel and Bad Nauheim
However, one league lower, in the DEL2, from a Hessian perspective, victories could be celebrated: The Kassel Huskies, who had announced the contract extension with goalkeeper Philipp Maurer shortly before the game, won their home game against Landshut 4-2. As a result, the North Hessians remain in second place, close to the table leaders from Krefeld.
At the same time, EC Bad Nauheim was also able to score two points. The Red Devils from Wetterau won 3-2 as guests in Kaufbeuren and thus expanded their cushion on the play-down places.
Hesse derby is coming up
Next Sunday, both Hessian second division teams will meet in the derby. The game in the Colonel Knight Stadium in Bad Nauheim starts at 6.30 p.m. in front of a sold-out crowd.
