The Eisbären Berlin have defied the mammoth program and are only one step away from their ninth ice hockey championship title.
The DEL record champion won the third playoff final game on Monday evening at home against Red Bull Munich 2-1 (1-1, 1-0, 0-0) and leads in the best-of-five series 2-1. It was the fourth game in five days for the defending champions.
Already on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. / ServusTV and MagentaSport) the team of coach Serge Aubin can crown themselves as champions of the 2021/22 DEL season with a third win in the Munich Olympic Ice Stadium. Should Red Bull manage to equalize, the decision will only be made one day later in the final showdown in Berlin.
“Everyone worked very hard. We took everything away in the third third. Hats off to the team,” said Eisbären veteran Frank Hördler on “MagentaSport”. The guests were disappointed. “Both teams are playing at a high level. In the end we tried everything but we didn’t build up the pressure anymore,” said striker Patrick Hager.
For the Berliners, Zachary Boychuk (5th) and Dominik Bokk (39th) were successful in front of 14,200 spectators in the sold-out arena at Ostbahnhof. The goal for the guests was scored by Zachary Redmond (7th). As in the two previous duels, both teams gave nothing and acted almost at the same level with two brilliant goalkeepers.
Backlog as a wake-up call for Munich
There was no sign of tiredness in the Berliners – quite the opposite. The hosts seemed more snappy at the beginning and had their first big chance after 16 seconds thanks to Boychuk’s shot at the post. A short time later, the Canadian aimed a little better and put the polar bears in the lead with a majority. Previously, the Munich Benjamin Smith had been banished to the penalty box.
The Munich team, who traveled to Berlin with the same squad, seemed to take the deficit as a wake-up call. The runner-up in the preliminary round acted much more determinedly and deservedly equalized when Redmond shot the target into the corner with a wrist shot that is well worth seeing.
Bokk scores the next lead
Even then, the guests initially kept the pressure on, in this phase the extremely strong goalie Mathias Niederberger kept the Berliners in the game. But Henrik Haukeland on the other side was also able to distinguish himself again and again. Above all, the agile Boychuk was never completely under control by the Munich back line.
The middle third was also hard fought with chances for both sides. Technically, however, one or the other mistake was more recognizable, the legs became visibly heavier for the players. The Berliners were unlucky that Boychuk was injured in a duel and had to go into the dressing room. Nevertheless, the team managed to take the lead again thanks to Bokk.
In the final third, the polar bears got off to a better start, but missed out on a manpower game. Then Red Bull sensed his chance again, the pressure on Berlin increased.
Eisbären Berlin – Red Bull Munich 2: 1 (1: 1, 1: 0, 0: 0)
Goals: 1-0 Boychuk (04:08), 1-1 Redmond (06:33), 2-1 Bokk (38:27)
Penalty minutes: Berlin 6 – Munich 6
Spectators: 14,200
Playoff score: 2-1