DEL - Freezers are running hot

It took them 2 months, but finally the Hamburg Freezers are where they wanted to be from the start of the season. Right in the middle of the pack that fights for the direct play-off spots. What took them there was even more spectacular: 12 wins out of the last 13 games. And the teams that had to surrender the Freezers were no easy opponents either.

Just last weekend Hamburg beat the first and second placed teams from Köln and Mannheim on their home ice of the Colour Line Arena. The Sharks managed to fight back from a 2-0 deficit, but in the end Hamburg still had the better answer. With three more goals they clinched the 5-2 win over the other team that was running hot in the DEL.

Two days later they equalized the score twice against Mannheim before Kevin Schmidt could bring home three more points with his game-winner.

The key to the late success can be found in two areas. On the one hand the Freezers might have the best goalie duo in the league. Sebastien Caron carried a 1.00 GAA and a save percentage of 96.5% through the month of November while Dimitri Kotschnew, who can’t be really considered a back-up) wasn’t far from these numbers. Kotschnew also contributed with one of the shut-outs in November.

On the other hand you can see that the scoring is widely spread over all lines. Daniel Wolf is dishing out assists, Matt Pettinger is putting the pucks into the net, but beyond that even the fourth line likes to contribute. Against Köln it was the line of Cabana and Möchel that opened the scoring and set the sails for a nice regatta.

On the other side of the standings the Iserlohn Roosters almost hit rock bottom now. The team that started the season on the top with the biggest offensive weapons got passed through the standings in the last week and can thank only Düsseldorf for not being in last place. Out of the last 12 games they only won 2. Not enough at all to compete in the DEL.

On Friday Iserlohn will meet with Düssledorf at home, so there is a chance to turn things around and rediscover the offense they were lacking too often in the last weeks.

Tweets by @eurohockey