ERC Ingolstadt is the new first pursuer of the dominant leader EHC Red Bull Munich in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). On Matchday 34, Bayern beat German champions Eisbären Berlin 4-2 (1-1, 1-1, 2-0) and relegated Adler Mannheim to second place in the table.
Marco Friedrich, Charles Bertrand, Ben Marshall and Mirko Höfflin scored for the Ingolstadt team, who clinched their 21st win of the season. Marcel Noebels and Maximilian Heim had meanwhile given Berlin a 2-1 lead. The polar bears, who have been struggling since the start of the season, failed to confirm the good performance of 5-0 over bottom-placed Bietigheim shortly before Christmas and take another step out of the bottom of the table.
Munich against Augsburg sovereign
Ingolstadt, on the other hand, is 15 points behind Munich, who played one game more after 32 games. The undisputed leader of the table confidently beat the relegation candidates Augsburger Panther 4:1 (0:0, 2:1, 2:0) in the evening game. Maximilian Kastner (outnumbered), Terry BroadhurstYassin Ehliz and Austin Ortega scored the goals.
A few hours earlier, the Adler Mannheim had surprisingly lost feathers in the top group of the table. The 2019 German champions lost 3-1 (0-0, 0-2, 1-1) against Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven. Ryan MacInnis‘ interim hit was not enough.
Wolfsburg’s bankruptcy against Cologne
The Grizzlies Wolfsburg also suffered bankruptcy. The play-off contenders lost 5-3 (2-1, 1-2, 0-2) at home to the Kölner Haie, who had recently improved in form.