Friday, May 7th, 2021
Berlin with a championship comeback
Polar bear triumph for the history books
The Eisbären Berlin crown themselves the anniversary champions. The main round winner of the northern group wins the third play-off final for the 100th German ice hockey title against the Grizzlys Wolfsburg. The Berliners manage to make up for a defeat in the first game in the third round.
With the anniversary title to the record: The Eisbären Berlin have written ice hockey history twice. With a 2: 1 (1: 1, 1: 0, 0: 0) victory in the third play-off final against the Grizzlys Wolfsburg, the main round winner of the northern group was crowned 100th German champion. Captain Frank Hördler raised the silver cup of the German Ice Hockey League for the eighth time, making the polar bears the sole number one title holder.
Mark Olver (2nd minute) and national player Leo Pföderl (24th) shot the Berliners in the empty arena to the decisive second victory. Only Mathis Olimb (3rd) scored for Wolfsburg, who was looked after by the former national coach Pat Cortina.
Wolfsburg compensation counts wrongly
The showdown started spectacularly: With the first shot from Berlin, Olver immediately took the lead. But only 25 seconds later, the Wolfsburg replied with the equalizer by Olimb – which, however, was preceded by a rule violation. Valentin Busch had held the puck in the attack third, although he had lost his helmet. Actually, the grizzly striker should have been sent to the penalty bench, but the referees were not allowed to consult the video evidence.
It continued at high speed and tough duels. Wolfsburg invested significantly more in the offensive than at 1: 4 in their own hall. National goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger had to save several times in the goal of Berlin in dire need. The polar bears struggled in the neutral zone against four defending Wolfsburgs as difficult as in the 2: 3 after extra time in the first duel.
In the second round it got better: After the preparatory work by defender Kai Wissmann, Pföderl scored 2-1 and the Eisbären got the game under control. In the final third, the guests pushed for the equalizer – but in vain.
The celebrations at the record champions, however, look different than with the seven previous titles: no cheering fans in the stands, and because of the curfew and the corona rules, no boozy train through Berlin’s nightlife.
.