3.
19:37
How does Ingolstadt react to this early deficit? Coach Mark French had specially warned against the lightning starters from Munich…
2.
19:35
Goal for EHC Munich, 1-0 by Trevor Parkes
The early lead for the hosts! Filip Varejcka conquers the disc in the generic third and puts it in the slot to Trevor Parkes, who scores with a one-timer to make it 1-0.
2.
19:35
Now also Munich with the first chance! Konrad Abeltshauser shoots from half left, Austin Ortega holds his trowel in the shot and deflects it. Kevin Reich saves.
1.
19:33
Less than 30 seconds have passed and Ingolstadt has the first good chance of the game! Daniel Pietta shifts the disc to the left with a diagonal pass. From there the disc comes to the right post to Ronning, who puts the hard rubber just past the goal to the right.
1.
19:31
The puck has fallen, game one is on in this finals series!
19:24
The teams come to the Olympic Ice Stadium, the final series is about to start!
19:19
About the staff: For the guests, Kevin Reich is again between the posts for the still injured Michael Garteig. For the hosts, Mathias Niederberger starts in goal. In defense Ingolstadt still has to do without the injured Ben Marshall, everyone at the EHC is fit.
19:16
Picking a favorite in this series is difficult. Although the Munich team won all four games against Ingolstadt in the main round and didn’t even lose a point, the ERC made a somewhat more confident impression in its previous playoff duels this year. In addition, Ingolstadt won two years ago in the playoff quarter-finals, back then in best-of-three mode due to the corona, against Munich 2-0. We can look forward to an exciting and close final series!
19:08
Munich, on the other hand, who have been in the final six times in the last eight years, finally want to celebrate their first title win since 2018. EHC trainer Don Jackson, who is taking part in a DEL final with one of his teams for the 12th time, sees Ingolstadt as a “tough competitor” who has had an “incredibly strong” season so far. Captain Patrick Hager also warns: “Ingolstadt is incredibly strong in terms of skiing and probably has the fastest team in the league. We have to find the right balance and not be surprised by their high pace.”
19:00
Both teams are full of anticipation for this derby final series and warn against the respective opponent. “The mood in the halls will certainly be simmering,” says captain Fabio Wagner, who was the only ERC player who was in the Ingolstadt team when they last took part in the final. ERC coach Mark French demands full concentration from his team right from the start: “Munich is very good at coming out of the dressing room with a lot of energy. The first five minutes are a very important phase in the game. For us, it’s about generating momentum. In general, controlling the game will play a decisive role.” With a “shot of looseness”, Ingolstadt is now aiming for the second title in the club’s history after 2014.
18:52
And it is precisely this momentum from the brilliant victory in game seven against Wolfsburg that today’s hosts want to take into the final series. The blue and whites, on the other hand, had a few more days off and were able to regenerate. “It’s an advantage for us that we have a bit of a break after this strenuous semi-final series and that the boys can recharge their batteries,” says ERC coach Mark French.
18:45
Also worth mentioning: With the ERC and the EHC, the two best placed in the main round prevailed and made it to today’s final. Ingolstadt won against Düsseldorf in five games and eliminated Mannheim in the semifinals after six games. Munich had a little more trouble. In the quarter-finals, they beat Bremerhaven 4-2 after trailing 2-0 in the series, and in the semi-finals against Wolfsburg it even went into the decisive seventh game, which the Red Bulls then won furiously 7-2 and advanced to the final.
18:38
Ingolstadt and Munich provide a novelty in this series of finals. For the first time since the introduction of the DEL playoffs, two Bavarian teams will face each other in a final. A derby in the final “There’s nothing nicer for the fans,” Red Bulls striker Patrick Hager also knows.
18:30
The final series begins, who will win the pot and become DEL champion 2023? Hello and welcome to the first final game between EHC Red Bull Munich and ERC Ingolstadt. Bully is at 7:30 p.m.!