The crisis of the defending champion Eisbären Berlin in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) continues to escalate. At newly promoted Löwen Frankfurt, coach Serge Aubin’s team lost dramatically 2-1 (0-0, 0-0, 1-1, 0-1) after extra time and conceded their third defeat in a row.
In the table basement, the previously disappointing Berliners slipped to the penultimate place. Because the Augsburg Panthers underlined their home strength in the 3:1 (1:1, 2:0, 0:0) in the south duel with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers and left the team from the capital behind with their third success in the last four matches.
With Augsburg’s third home win in a row, the first success of bottom-placed Bietigheim Steelers after five bankruptcies in a row in the first game after the separation from promotion coach Daniel Naud had above all moral significance. Bietigheim won 2-1 (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-0) after extra time against Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven. Chase Berger (63rd) scored the decisive goal for the Steelers.
Straubing wins against Grizzlies Wolfsburg
In the higher regions of the table, ERC Ingolstadt missed the leap to second place behind leaders Red Bull Munich. After their 1:2 (1:1, 0:1, 0:0) home defeat against the Iserlohn Roosters, the ex-champion is still third behind Adler Mannheim.
The Straubing Tigers climbed to fourth place after beating the Wolfsburg Grizzlies 5:4 (1:2, 0:1, 3:1, 0:0, 1:0) in the penalty shootout, while the guests slipped down to sixth place due to the bankruptcy . After four defeats in a row, the Düsseldorfer EG won 4:3 (0:1, 0:2, 3:0, 0:0, 1:0) after a shootout against the Schwenninger Wild Wings despite being 0:3 behind.
In Frankfurt, the Berliners conceded the equalizer twelve seconds before the final siren by Dylan Wruck, in the second minute of extra time Frankfurt’s David Elsner missed the defending champion’s next low blow. Giovanni Fiore (49th) had previously put the polar bears in the lead.