Unequal strength of strength of the traditional clubs
Again 7-0 victory: ice hockey title almost decided
04/23/2025 – 10:17 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
A final series around the championship was so rare: for the second time within three days, Berlin won with seven goals against Cologne. The polar bears are still missing a victory for the title.
The hope of Cologne Haie for a comeback in the final series of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) has been smashed again. As on Easter Monday, the club from Cologne against the Eisbären Berlin conceded a clear 0: 7 defeat-this time in the fourth game of the best-of-Seven series in front of a home crowd.
The defending champion from the capital acted dominant right from the start and gave the sharks no possibility to develop. Before 18,600 fans in the sold-out Lanxess-Arena, Liam Kirk (10th/57th minute), Marcel Noebels (16.), Manuel Wiederer (27th), Blaine Byron (39.), Ty Ronning (42.) and Eric Hördler (60th) were clear.
With his goal in the final third, Ronnning continued his series of 27 games in a row with at least one scorer-a DEL record. In the series, Berlin is now 3-1 ahead and could make the eleventh championship title perfect on Friday (from 7.30 p.m./Magenta Sport).
Despite the success, the polar bears had to do without Kai Wissmann again. The national player had seriously injured his hand in the second game of the final series. In addition to the DEL final, the defender should also miss the World Cup in May.
The sharks, which have been waiting for the ninth title for 23 years, could not counter the Berlin dominance. Although they survived an early outnumber of a punishment against national team captain Moritz Müller, who fights the play-offs despite the shoulder injury and completed his 1130 DEL deployment. But a counter gate through Kirk and a goal from Noebels clearly put Berlin in the lead in the first third.
Driven by the home audience, the sharks tried to come back in the second section. But again, with a remarkable goal after a passport, 3-0, Byron increased to 4: 0 a little later. Cologne repeatedly failed at Berlin’s goalkeeper Jake Hildebrand in the few good moments.
In the final third, the polar bears did not burn anything. Although DEL-Play-off record shooter Leo Pföderl left empty, the Berliners showed their entire offensive strength and added three more hits.