With a real shooting festival, DEL record champions Eisbären Berlin have consolidated their lead in the German Ice Hockey League.
The capital team celebrated its highest win of the season with a 10:2 (3:1, 4:1, 3:0) win over the Nuremberg Ice Tigers and extended its lead at the top to five points. Defending champion Red Bull Munich continued its comeback against relegation candidate Iserlohn Roosters with their fourth win in a row with 5:2 (0:0, 2:1, 3:1).
However, the Straubing Tigers and the Adler Mannheim were initially five points behind Berlin’s first hunters. With a 3:1 (0:0, 1:1, 2:0) against the Schwenninger Wild Wings, Straubing moved past the non-playing chasing duo Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven and Grizzly Wolfsburg, as did Mannheim, which after three defeats in a row with a 3rd :2 (1:1, 0:1, 2:0) against the Löwen Frankfurt returned to the road to success.
In the bottom of the table, the previous bottom team Düsseldorfer EG advanced from Iserlohn’s home defeat against Munich. The Rhinelanders won against the Augsburger Panthers 4:2 (0:1, 2:1, 2:0) and handed over the Red Lantern to the Sauerlanders with their fourth win of the season.
Berlin outclassed the Nuremberg hosts. In the fourth success in the last five encounters, the Eisbären’s goals were shared between the two-time goalscorers Patrice Cormier and Leonard Pföderl and six other players. For the home team, the debacle meant the biggest defeat of the current season. Munich’s outstanding player in Iserlohn was double packer Trevor Parkes.
In Straubing, Justin Scott (52nd) and Sandro Schönberger (54th) secured the decision in favor of Bayern with a double strike in the final third. Mannheim turned the game around against Frankfurt in the final section with goals from David Wolf (42nd) and Tom Kühnhackl (50th). Düsseldorf’s most celebrated player in Augsburg was double goalscorer Kenny Agostino.