The Eisbären Berlin are only missing one win in the DEL playoffs to reach the semi-finals. On Tuesday evening they won an intense fourth game against the Straubing Tigers and are now leading 3-1 in the quarter-final series.
- The Eisbären won game four against Straubing on Tuesday with a score of 2-1
- Marcel Noebels and Ty Ronning score early for a 2-0 lead
- The game is intense and characterized by many time penalties for both teams
- Eisbären goalie Jonas Stettmer is only beaten in the final minute
- In the series, the Eisbären Berlin are now only one win away from reaching the semi-finals at 3-1
The Polar Bears Berlin celebrated a groundbreaking victory in the playoffs of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). The Berliners won against the Straubing Tigers at home on Tuesday evening 2:1 (2:0; 0:0; 0:1) and are now leading 3:1 in their quarter-final series. After the Berliners lost without a chance in the first game against Straubing at the start of the playoffs, three victorious games later they are only missing one win to reach the semi-finals.
Polar bears are there right from the start
Of course, the Eisbären themselves also knew in the run-up to game four that a third win against Straubing would probably be decisive in the series. Accordingly, the Berliners appeared remarkably determined early in the game. After improving their sport little by little over the course of the series, they took the lead early on Tuesday.
Only five minutes had been played when Ty Ronning had a good idea near the right faceoff circle, which he then implemented even better. Ronning’s pass to Marcel Noebels, who was lurking in front of the Straubing goal, was so precise that he then had an easy time with his shot. The Eisbären led 1-0 and their goal anthem blared for the first time from the boxes in the Uber Arena.
High intensity results in numerous time penalties
Ty Ronning was representative of the intensity and animosity that had solidified in the previous three games: instead of celebrating his assist on Noebels, he grabbed Straubinger, who was closest to him. Even before the Eisbären’s goal anthem had finished, Ronning was banished to the penalty box by the referees. It shouldn’t be the last time on Tuesday.
Ronning wasn’t the only one who had to take an involuntary break in the glass box on the edge of the gang. Time and again, the much-quoted playoff intensity found its way onto the Berlin ice and went beyond the bounds of what was permitted. In the first third alone, the referees handed out a total of ten time penalties to the two teams.
Ty Ronning celebrates his goal with his teammates | Image: IMAGO/Contrast
Eisbären use power play, Straubing does not
One of the key differences on Tuesday night was how these teams used their power play. The Eisbären, who were the worst team in the entire DEL in the main round, benefited from their power play: After ten minutes of play, Ronning scored 2-0 in Berlin’s first majority, his fourth goal in this year’s playoffs.
Straubing, on the other hand, had a hard time even with the majority on Tuesday. The last four minutes before the first period break were symptomatic of this. The polar bears had to survive completely outnumbered. They did it brilliantly, defended with passion and cleverness and fended off any Straubing attacks. With applause and a standing ovation, the Berliners were soon sent off to the dressing room by their fans to take a breather.
Straubing has many chances, Berlin has better ones
Even in the second quarter, there was certainly no constant six-on-six play on the ice. However, despite all of this, the Eisbären also dominated the game in the second third – even if only at certain points. Although the Berliners repeatedly allowed their guests to have chances, they had the greater opportunities themselves. In the 27th minute, in a powerful Eisbären phase, only the Straubing crossbar prevented the score from making it 3-0 – shortly afterwards, Lean Bergmann failed to make it to the goal on his own.
In the final third the starting position was clear: While the Straubingers needed goals, the Eisbären could concentrate on preventing them. The result was an ice hockey game that was still intense and exciting, but in terms of speed, quality and spectacle it could rarely keep up with the previous games in the series.
Everyone who supports the polar bears probably didn’t care about this on Tuesday evening. Not only did coach Serge Aubin seem generally satisfied at the Eisbären bench, but the executive team around sports director Stéphane Richer was also able to watch the game quietly from their box for long stretches. Even when the supposed 3-0 for the Eisbären was declared invalid by Ronning in the 52nd minute after a long video study, coach Aubin accepted this calmly.
Eisbären want to make the semi-finals perfect on Thursday
The Straubingers were anything but calm in the final minutes. They tried everything again to shorten their deficit. However, they failed for a long time either because of their own inability to get the puck into the slot in front of the Eisbären goal or because of Jonas Stettmer. The Berlin goalie made the next strong game on Tuesday – and had to admit defeat in the end: Exactly 59.4 seconds before the end, Tyler Madden reduced Straubing’s deficit to 1:2.
However, this didn’t change anything about the polar bears’ victory. Thanks to their success, the Berliners now have one foot in the semi-finals of the DEL playoffs. Already on Thursday (7:30 p.m.) they can complete their entry there with a win to make it 4-1 in the series.
Broadcast: rbb|24, March 31, 2026, 10:05 p.m
Audio: rbb|24, March 31, 2026, Jakob Lobach
