The Eisbären Berlin have reached the final series of the German Ice Hockey League. The capital city team defeated the Straubing Tigers 3-2 after extra time and thus secured their decisive fourth victory in the fifth semi-final duel.
The Eisbären Berlin used their second match point and reached the finals of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). The DEL record champions beat the Straubing Tigers in game five on Wednesday 3:2 (0:0, 1:1, 1:1, 1:0) after extra time in front of 13,192 spectators in the Arena at Ostbahnhof. Ty Ronning scored the winning goal in the 67th minute of the game. Marcel Noebels and Tobias Eder had previously scored for the Berliners.
After winning 4-1 in the best-of-seven series, Berlin will face Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven in the final. Straubing missed the first final appearance in the club’s history. The final series begins on April 17th. The final series begins on April 17th. Bremerhaven enjoys home advantage as main round winners in the first, third and possible fifth and seventh games.
Fast start, but no goals
The Eisbären started the first third briskly, recording three good finishes in the first three minutes. Straubing’s goalkeeper Hunter Mika was immediately warmed up. It was a quick game right from the start, as the Tigers also brought their good offensive game onto the ice after a few minutes. In the 5th minute, Berlin goalkeeper Jake Hildebrand had to prove his class for the first time and parry a follow-up shot from close range. So it went back and forth in the first half of the third, lots of chances, but none of them resulted in a goal. Unlike the previous ones, a game with open visors – but goalkeepers still in a good mood.
Things continued to get hot in the second half of the opening third – and the Eisbären continued to be the slightly better team with more shots. The home team fired from all positions, but only hit Straubing’s Mika and the side netting of the goal. After 15 minutes, Mika had already made eight saves, Berlin’s Hildebrand had an impressive six, as the Tigers were able to keep pinpricking the ball.
Although the Eisbären played aggressively, they were also risky – early puck losses were noticeably recorded in the build-up game, but the Tigers did not take advantage of this consistently enough. So it went into the first break 0-0. “Both teams are stepping on the gas, it’s the decisive game,” said Eisbären attacker Maximilian Heim on the “Magenta Sport” microphone.
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Eisbären take the lead, but Straubing doesn’t give up
Berlin also started the second third brilliantly, after just a few seconds the capital city team almost took the lead, but Blaine Byron’s cross pass in front of the box narrowly missed the free Frederik Tiffels. After another great chance in the 23rd minute, which Straubing’s Miska once again parried brilliantly, the home team deservedly took the lead in the 24th minute by taking advantage of a superiority. Marco Nowak and Leonhard Pföderl brought the hard rubber into the right face-off circle to the eye-catching Marcel Noebels. With a bit of luck, his shot found its way through Miska’s pads to make it 1-0.
The Eisbären wanted to use the momentum and immediately make it 2-0, but Straubing also remained active and resisted with his own attacks. It remained an open, very fast-paced affair with shots on both sides. So it certainly didn’t come out of nowhere that the Tigers equalized 1-1 in the 31st minute. After a first shot didn’t go into the goal, the disc came to Philip Samuelsson on the blue line on the left. The American let loose a wrist shot that hit the right gable. Berlin’s keeper Hildebrand had no chance to defend due to too many visual blocks. The Eisbären almost made it 2-1 in direct return. Noebels was sent on the counterattack, turned in front of Miska and laid it off perfectly for Jonas Müller, who was denied by the American from three meters.
In the minutes that followed, the pace slowed down somewhat, but the encounter did not give rise to even the slightest hint of boredom. However, a few two- and five-minute penalties, including boxing by Berlin’s Lean Bergmann and Straubing’s Adrian Klein, disrupted the rhythm of the game, so that the second third ultimately went into the next break with a score of 1:1 and an even goal difference of 20:20. “A big compliment to the goalkeepers, Miska kept us in the game. We have to pay more attention to our defense, we get our chances up front,” summarized Straubing’s Joshua Samanski.
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Two lightning goals lead into overtime
While it was the Eisbären who started better in the first two thirds, the Tigers came back onto the ice with a bang – the 2-1 lead after just 49 seconds. Mike Connolly initiated the attack with a strong backhand pass through the neutral zone, then the disc came sharply in front of the box. Justin Scott was first, loaded Hildebrand and scored from close range. But Berlin’s answer came almost as quickly, making it 2-2 (42nd minute). After conceding the goal, the polar bears immediately went forward and established themselves at the front. Nowak let loose a cracking shot from the Blues and Tobi Eder deflected the puck decisively in the slot. Straubing’s Miska had no chance to react.
The tempo of the game remained extremely high even in what was supposed to be the final third, there were hardly any interruptions and many offensive efforts on both sides. Even though the Eisbären had a slightly more fluid game and a bit better chances, it was an open exchange of blows. In the last minutes of the third period the tempo remained high, but the finishing frequency decreased slightly for the first time – the efforts of the semi-finals left their first mark, at least in terms of mental freshness.
It wasn’t until the 57th minute that the next top chance came along – and two at once. First Tiffels moved in front of the box from outside and couldn’t get past the Straubing goalie’s pad, then Julian Melchiori also shot from the back and was also denied by Miska. Even the Eisbären’s extensive efforts didn’t change the fact that the score went into overtime at 2-2. “Little things will now decide,” Berlin’s Eder predicted for the final act.
Polar bears decide the game through remarkable individual action
The Eisbären dominated the first few minutes of extra time and repeatedly had dangerous moments of attack thanks to good puck circulation – but Straubing’s Miska remained a strong support. The strains of the last few weeks and days were more noticeable on the Tigers than on the Berliners, who exercised a lot of control of the game with fresh players.
And so the 3-2 winning goal came after exactly seven minutes in overtime – and once again it was Ty Ronning. The Berliner, who also decided game two in the third overtime, picked up speed in the neutral zone after Stephan Daschner lost his goal and stormed into the attacking third. Ronning then delayed briefly, allowing a defender who was rushing back to get out, and then netted a dry shot over Miska’s stick hand into the left gable. This made the finals perfect.
“What a fight, Straubing never gave up. But: The work is not over, we still have something to do,” clarified the winning goalscorer Ronning after the end of the game. “It will depend on the little things, it will be a great finale.”
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, April 10, 2024, 11 p.m
