In the sixth game of the playoff quarter-final series, the Eisbären Berlin achieved a 6:5 victory in overtime against the Straubing Tigers. The Berliners were able to win 4-2 in the best-of-seven mode and are in the DEL semi-finals.
- Eisbären Berlin have reached the playoff semi-finals
- With a 6:5 win against the Straubing Tigers, they won the best-of-seven series 4:2
- The hard-fought game was only decided in overtime
The Polar Bears Berlin have made it to the DEL playoff semi-finals. The reigning ice hockey champions defeated the Straubing Tigers in the sixth quarterfinal game at home 6:5 (2:1, 3:2, 0:2, 1:0) in overtime. Markus Vikingstad scored the decisive goal.
Straubing starts dominantly
A time penalty for Leon Bergmann gave Straubing an early power play. The guests built up so much pressure that Eisbären goalkeeper Jonas Stettmer had little time to breathe. But he defended his goal with concentration.
The opening minutes clearly went to the Tigers, who survived the second shortfall without conceding a goal and were rewarded with a 1-0 lead. Straubing defender Marcel Brandt sprinted towards Stettmer and casually placed the puck around him and into the goal.
Wake-up call for the polar bears
But the Eisbären’s answer came quickly: Yannick Veilleux copied Brandt and scored the equalizer in a similar way. Shortly afterwards, Andreas Eder went one better.
The Eisbären went into the break in Berlin’s Uber Arena with a 2-1 lead, they came back from the locker room in even better shape and took control of the game. Adam Smith catapulted the disc into the right corner on his second attempt and increased the score to 3-1.
Everything back to zero
Straubing coach Craig Woodcroft was still able to observe in the second third how his team increased the speed again and kept at it: Nick Halloran made the traveling fans cheer and scored to make it 3-2. And while they were already celebrating: Adrian Klein followed up just seconds later and equalized. The polar bears had to cope with a double blow.
Berlin can also do a double whammy
The hosts achieved this by bringing calm into their game and then acting more offensively again. The consequence: Berlin took the lead again.
Shortly before the second break, it was Ty Ronning who faked a pass and then shot the puck past Straubing keeper Henrik Haukeland and into the goal. Jonas Müller increased the score to 5:3 shortly afterwards.
Polar bears don’t close the bag
Immediately after the restart, Straubing still lacked the necessary energy. But then Tim Fleischer got serious, took advantage of a power play and made it 5:4. Just a short time later, Tigers captain Mike Connolly hit the post.
The scene made it clear: Berlin let Straubing come again – and was punished for it. Nick Halloran showed a lot of overview and understanding of the game and scored to make it 5:5. The away block in the Uber Arena turned freely and it went into overtime.
Match winner Vikingstad
Typical for an extension: the errors increased and concentration decreased. Neither team went all out. The tension determined the game.
And then the great relief from Berlin’s perspective: Markus Vikingstad sank the puck into the Tigers’ goal and sent the arena into a frenzy. The Eisbären Berlin won 6:5 in overtime and moved into the semi-finals of the DEL.
In the semi-finals, the Berliners will meet the Kölner Haie – game 1 will take place on April 8th (7 p.m.). The second duel will be between Adler Mannheim and EHC Red Bull Munich.
Broadcast: rbb|24, April 4th, 2026, 7:56 p.m
Audio: rbb|24, April 4th, 2026, Karsten Steinmetz
