DEL Sunday recap

Two days after their home loss in Friday's top game against the Kölner Haie, the league leaders from Mannheim have come back with a 4-2 win in Wolfsburg. The Adler were the dominating team but the hosts Grizzly Adams who now are again last in the table were able to keep the game open during the first two periods. With two seconds to go in the first 20 minutes the underdogs even went in front through Kai Hospelt shorthanded. In the middle period the pressure by Mannheim was rewarded with a double through Yanick Lehoux and Frank Mauer before Greg Moore earned the equalizer for Wolfsburg. In the last period Wolfsburg was barely visible in front of the opposing goal and Mannheim punished it with the game winner through Craig MacDonald at 56:47. With seven seconds left in regulation Adam Mitchell even added an empty netter. Now Mannheim has restored its five point advantage over second-placed Cologne.

In the with 14,200 spectators sold out O2 World top side Eisbären Berlin defeated the guests EHC Red Bull München with 5-2. André Rankel, Florian Busch, Darin Olver and Laurin Braun had made it a 4-1 lead already after 2 periods - Martin Buchwieser had scored the only goal for München in power play. In the last period Klaus Kathan used another men advantage for the second goal of the guests before Julian Talbot made everything clear for Berlin.

Krefeld had the big opportunity to get closer to their direct rivals Hamburg Freezers who they received on Sunday. They started the game with immense pressure but had to see how Garrett Festerling scored the surprising lead for the guests at 08:08. Just before the end of the period Adam Courchaine scored the deserved equalizer before Ronald Verwey won the match for the Penguins with a penalty shot at 52:41. During the last minute of regulation national team goalie Dmitrij Kotschnew left his net for an additional attacker but Hamburg couldn't score the equalizer anymore.

The Hannover Scorpions are continuing their march to the top-6 spots in the table. In their away match in Augsburg they even turned around a two-goal deficit against the at home usually very strong Panthers. John Zeiler and Kyle Helms had opened the score for the hosts with a double in the first period before David Sulkovsky and Gerrit Fauser tied the match for Hannover in the second. Almost with the end of a penalty against Steffen Tölzer for delaying the game it was Sascha Goc who scored the decisive goal in power play for Hannover at 55:11. Patrick Ehelechner left his net during the last two minutes for an additional attacker but without effect.

Straubing couldn't use the losses of its direct rivals and instead the Tigers lost themselves against the then still last in the table Düsseldorfer EG in a crazy match with 7-6. It was a back and forth game at its best where both teams took the lead four times each but with the better end for the hosts. Straubing was in front 5-6 after two periods before Daniel Kreutzer and Carl Ridderwall gave the hosts all three points in regulation. For Ridderwall the game winner crowned his stellar performance with 3 goals and 1 assist. For Straubing the eventually deciding negative factor was that they took too many penaltis - all the last five DEG goals came with one player more on the ice.

Another high-scoring match was played in Nürnberg where the local Ice Tigers received the Iserlohn Roosters. It was an up and down for both teams that eventually ended in a 7-6 win of the hosts from Nürnberg who now have put four points between themselves and Iserlohn to defend the last pre-playoff spot. The star of the match was Iserlohn's Mark Bell with four points (two goals and two assists).

 

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