The Eisbären Berlin made a spectacular comeback in the quarter-final series of the DEL playoffs against Adler Mannheim. The runner-up in the main round won 4:2 (0:2, 3:0, 1:0) in Mannheim on Wednesday (March 20th, 2024) after being 0:2 behind.
Within 102 seconds in the second third, the Eisbären turned the game around with three goals. Ty Ronning (28th minute), Marcel Noebels and former Mannheimer Lean Bergmann (both 29th) shot the Eisbären into the lead.
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Well recovered from 1:7 defeat
The Berliners were badly defeated 7-1 in the first game of the series, in which four wins are necessary to advance.
After Berlin’s third goal, there was tumult because of Bergmann’s emotional celebration. The national striker, who was initially loaned out to Iserlohn in the previous season due to the unrest in Mannheim and later transferred to Berlin, provoked the audience with gestures and his provocative cheers. This ultimately led to a scuffle with Berlin-born Leon Gawanke in the Mannheim jersey.
Eder makes the decision
“If you mock our fans like that, then you should expect a reaction,” said Gawanke about the action on MagentaSport after the game. After serving his penalty, Bergmann was only allowed to get involved again in the final third and was from then on the bogeyman in the stadium.
Almost two minutes before the end, national striker Tobi Eder made the decision. The third game continues in Berlin on Friday. Already one step further than Berlin and Mannheim, the main round winner is Bremerhaven.
Fischtown Pinguins take a 2-0 lead
Meanwhile, former national player Daniel Pietta suffered a bitter home defeat with ERC Ingolstadt in his anniversary game and also lost the second game of the play-off series against main round champions Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven. In the striker’s 1000th DEL appearance, last year’s finalist lost 3:4 (1:0, 2:1, 0:2, 0:1) after extra time after a 3:1 lead.
Mathew Bodie (7th), Philipp Krauß (23rd) and Maurice Edwards (30th) took the supposedly secure ERC lead in front of 4,370 spectators when Christian Wejse (29th) conceded a goal. Jan Urbas (41′) and Wejse (43′) brought the guests into extra time, in which Colt Adam Conrad (65′) made the decision.
Tension between Straubing and Schwenningen
Pietta (37) was the twelfth professional to reach the 1,000-game mark (main round and play-offs combined); the record holder is Cologne icon Mirko Lüdemann with 1,197 appearances from 1993 to 2016.
Game three in all four quarter-finals will take place on Friday evening (7.30 p.m., live ticker at sportschau.de). Champion Red Bull Munich leads 2-0 in its series against Grizzlys Wolfsburg. At Straubing against Schwenningen it is 1:1.