The Bergische HC is in the final four of the DHB Cup for the first time in ten years. The match winner was goalkeeper Christopher Rudeck, who drove MT Melsung to despair with 18 saves.
“When I was 20, I was there once as a tourist. I told the boys today that you don’t get these chances often and I’m incredibly happy that we did it today,” said Rudeck after the game at “Dyn”.
The BHC clearly won the quarter-finals of the DHB Cup against the favored MT Melsungen 30:23 and is in the Final Four for the first time since 2016. There the BHC meets Champions League winner SC Magdeburg. TBV Lemgo Lippe had already won against Leipzg on Wednesday. Lemgo will play against Füchse Berlin at the Final Four in Cologne. After three consecutive participations, Melsungen is not taking part in the DHB Cup tournament for the first time.
Rudeck has been there from the start
The hosts were particularly alert defensively from the start. Goalkeeper Rudeck stood out with two seven-meter saves within a few minutes and almost 60 percent of balls saved in the first half.
After a tight opening phase, the BHC gained a four-goal lead (8:4) in front of their home crowd thanks to Rudeck after 16 minutes. The Lions kept the middle block compact during this phase and did not allow any easy throws. The guests from Melsungen remained without a goal of their own for eight minutes and only scored their fifth goal in the 18th minute.
Melsungen comes out of the locker room strong – BHC reacts
The hosts remained stable in the final phase of the first half, achieved a decent shooting rate of almost 60 percent and, thanks to the eleven saves from keeper Rudeck, took a 12:9 lead into the break.
Melsungen came out of the locker room much improved and scored the goal three minutes after the restart to make it 12:11 – the first since the 11th minute of the game. Thanks to youngster Sören Steinhaus, who repeatedly brought circle player Aron Seesing into the game with fine passes, the Bergische HC found its way back into the game better and made it 16:12 after 38 minutes. And because Steinhaus not only shone as a passer but also as a goalscorer, the promoted team kept their lead constant.
Rudeck turns it up again
And then there was a Christopher Rudeck. The 31-year-old first saved the next seven-meter penalty against Timo Kastening, and in the next Melsunger attack he initiated the next counter-attack with his 14th save. Seesing converted this into his first five-goal lead (21:16). Rudeck was now really hot and won two one-on-one duels. The BHC extended its lead to six goals eleven minutes before the end.
The Lions never gave up and showed a concentrated performance in the final minutes. Top scorer Seesing made it 26:19 with his seventh goal seven minutes before the end. Three minutes before the end, Nico Schöttle capped the evening with a dream goal from a tight angle and made it 29:21. “Oh how beautiful that is,” echoed from the stands in the packed Wuppertal University hall.
The Final Four will take place in Cologne in mid-April. Lemgo, BHC, Füchse Berlin and SC Magdeburg are taking part.
Our sources:
- DHB Cup game between the Bergischen HC and MT Melsungen on December 18th, 2025 on the streaming provider “Dyn”
- Handball Bundesliga (HBL)
Broadcast: WDR.de, “BHC in the Final Four – Rudeck has a great day”, December 18th, 2025, 8:53 p.m
