DEL playoff favourites do their home work

06 Apr 2012 | Dennis Mende

In game one of the semi finals of the DEL both Berlin and Mannheim won their games with a three-goal difference.

Eisbären Berlin - Straubing Tigers 4:1

The home side was at least a class better than their opponents during all 60 minutes of play. Just two minutes were played when Daniel Weiß gave up a shot from a almost impossible angle to get the puck into the left top corner - with success. Five minutes later Constantin Braun extended the lead after a rebound - only seconds after another Berlin goal had not been given because it was kicked in. In the following time Berlin wasted one power play after the other - in 9 opportunities they score not a single time - and so Straubing had the chance to show how to do it better. Sven Felski was in the penalty box for holding and Calvin Elfring in the first guest man advantage made it 2-1 with a very hard shot. In the same period TJ Mulock get the two-goal lead back after a series of good chances by the Polar Bars. Early in the third Danish international Mads Christensen decided the match with a deflection after a Laurin Braun pass. This was also the final result.

Berlin leads 1-0 in the series

ERC Ingolstadt - Adler Mannheim 1:4

Both teams knew what it means to play against the other one and so they fighted for every centimeter of ice. In the first period both goalies, Markus Janka for Ingolstadt and Fred Brathwaite for Mannheim, did an amazing job and had several incredible saves. Early in the second Markus Janka lost the puck behind his goal and Ken Megowan with the only power play goal opened the score in favour of Mannheim - Tyler Bouck sat in the penalty box for hooking. A couple of minutes later Ingolstadt was extremly unlucky by hitting the goal post from only half a metre distance. In the 43rd Ingolstadt was in power play but instead of the equalizer Marc El-Sayed stole the puck from Jakub Ficenec, went completely alone through 4 (!!!) defenders and made it 0-2 with his shorthander through the legs of Janka. Just 30 seconds later the penalty against Mannheim was over and Yannic Seidenberg scored directly after coming from the penalty box with a great deke. Another 22 seconds were played until Petr Fical cut the lead to two by deflecting the puck over Brathwaite. Megowan, who opened the score, also earned the honour to close the game with his empty netter with a bit more than two minutes to go when Ingolstadt risked everything.

Mannheim leads 1-0 in the series