With the quarter-final ticket in their pocket, the Eisbären Berlin have consolidated the top spot in the German Ice Hockey League.
The team from the capital won on Wednesday evening at the Kölner Haien 3:2 (2:1, 1:0, 0:1) and is now at the top with 96 points. The Fischtown Pinguins (92) are four points behind, but have played two fewer games.
Berlin has already secured one of the first six places in the DEL since last weekend, so the Eisbären will not have to take the detour via the pre-playoffs. This became more likely for Cologne on Wednesday.
After the defeat against Berlin, the Haie (73 points) remain seventh, and a direct competitor also won: The Grizzlys Wolfsburg (78) beat Düsseldorfer EG 9:4 (4:3, 4:1, 1:0). and climbed to fifth place.
Chris Wilkie scored three times for Wolfsburg, Peter Mueller and Darren Archibald each contributed a brace to the clear victory.
Düsseldorf (55), on the other hand, is no closer to the ranks for the pre-playoffs. In eleventh place, DEG is four points behind tenth place, which the Nuremberg Ice Tigers hold.