In the DEL final, the Eisbären Berlin lost the first game of the series in Bremerhaven – despite an early two-goal lead.
In the fight for the German championship, the Eisbären Berlin suffered a defeat at the start of the final series. The record champions lost to the main round first team Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven on Wednesday evening (April 17th, 2024) 2:4 (2:2, 0:2, 0:0). The Berlin goals were scored by Zach Boychuk and Leo Pföderl.
The Eisbären have the chance to equalize in the best-of-seven series in their own hall on Friday (7 p.m.).
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Lightning start by the polar bears, double strike by the penguins
In the packed Bremerhaven ice arena, the Berliners got off to a perfect start in the final series in front of around 4,000 spectators. After just 43 seconds, the puck bounced directly to the feet of Zach Boychuk after a deflected shot, who pushed the puck into the bottom left of the goal and briefly silenced the heated hall.
Inspired by the lightning start, the guests remained dominant, were able to break free again and again on defense and at times literally overran Bremerhaven. It didn’t take long until coach Serge Aubin’s team was able to extend their lead: Leo Pföderl scored from a tight angle after six minutes of play.
Then the penguins finally seemed to have woken up and became significantly more active. Things went back and forth quickly on the ice and it turned into a spectacular game with great chances for both sides. While Berlin’s Tobias Eder only hit the post, the hosts came back into the game with a double strike on the other side. First Lukas Kaelble scored the next goal from the left face-off (12th). A minute later, Ross Mauermann artistically put the puck past keeper Jake Hildebrand into the goal to equalize.
Berlin with defensive problems
After the spectacle of the first third, the game became a little quieter after the break, with both teams repeatedly having good chances. However, it took until the tenth minute for the puck to hit the goal again – with great cheers from the Bremerhaven fans. Miha Verlic held the stick in at the second post and gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead.
From then on, the Eisbären had problems and no longer looked good, especially on defense. They hardly had any access to the game and were repeatedly overcome with long passes. Bremerhaven, on the other hand, invested significantly more, presented themselves extremely efficiently and, four minutes before the second break, deservedly increased their lead to 4:2 with a goal from Alex Friesen.
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Efforts remain unsuccessful
In the final period, the Berliners increased their momentum again, put a lot of pressure on and tried with all their might to score the next goal in their first power play after two minutes. But the hosts survived one attack after the other, especially because goalie Kristers Gudļevskis seemed insurmountable.
In the last few minutes, the record champions threw everything into it again, but continued to bite their teeth into the opponent’s strong forechecking. The Penguins’ pressing made it extremely difficult for the Polar Bears to even get into the final third and so all their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. With great cheers from their own fans, Bremerhaven secured their deserved victory at the start of the final series.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, April 17, 2024, 7:30 p.m