Surprise team shakes up DEL
Fishtown penguins waddle to the feet of polar bears
January 5, 2024, 10:17 p.m
The Iserlohn Roosters are attracting attention in the bottom of the German Ice Hockey League table. The Sauerlanders celebrate their third win in a row against Wolfsburg. The Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven are also still on the road to success.
The Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven have caught up with leaders Eisbären Berlin in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). The surprise team from the North Sea coast won 3-2 (1-0, 2-1, 0-1) against the struggling Lions Frankfurt. With 72 points from 35 games, Bremerhaven and Berlin are now level on points, but the capital city team has the better goal difference.
Ross Mauermann (3rd), Christian Wejse (25th) and Marat Khaydarov (28th) scored Bremerhaven’s ninth win from the last ten games. Reid McNeill (36th) and Chad Nehring (47th) scored for the Lions, who lost their ninth game in a row. With 39 points, Frankfurt is in twelfth place. The Eisbären Berlin had already surprisingly lost 2:3 (0:2, 2:0, 0:1) against the Schwenninger Wild Wings on Thursday evening.
Schwenningen started strong and quickly led 2-0. Boaz Bassen (4th) and Christopher Brown (9th) scored. The Eisbären needed time to recover, but then they also struck twice in front of 13,389 spectators – through Zachary Boychuk (30th) and Tobias Eder (39th). But Brown (58th) again delivered the decisive blow for Schwenningen.
Düsseldorf suddenly within reach
Red Bull Munich dampened the mood in the sold-out Lanxess Arena in Cologne. The champions won 6:3 (1:1, 3:0, 2:2) at the Kölner Haien in front of 18,600 spectators. With a brace, Markus Eisenschmid played a key role in the away win. Munich (61 points) remains fourth, Cologne (57) sixth. The Adler Mannheim, on the other hand, suffered a defeat at the Nuremberg Ice Tigers. The eight-time champions lost to the Franconians 3:4 (1:2, 1:1, 1:0, 0:1) after extra time. The Ice Tigers (42) claimed tenth place, the last place for the pre-play-offs. Mannheim (53) is eighth.
The Iserlohn Roosters sent another sign of life in the table cellar. The bottom team fought for their third win in a row with a 4:2 (1:0, 2:2, 1:0) over the Grizzlys Wolfsburg. With 31 points, the Düsseldorfer EG, which lost 1:4 (1:0, 0:1, 0:3) against the Straubing Tigers, is only six points away from 13th place.