Straubing Tigers against Eisbären Berlin in the DEL playoffs: deep blow in the 84th minute

It took a little bit on Sunday afternoon, then the Straubinger had dimmed the light to a minimum in their ice stadium on the powder tower. Darkness like in December in northern Finland broke out at 2 p.m. because the expensive LED spotlights were gradually switched off over the ice. The whole brimborium was simply pure Lower Bavarian ice hockey romance: only seconds later, the cabaret artist Hannes Ringlstetter, who dates from the Gäubodenstadt, flickered on the video cubes above the ice center. He sang his “power of the powder tower”, the stadium anthem of the Straubing Tigers from the German ice hockey league – on a calm Sunday afternoon in Lower Bavaria, which still had an exciting thriller.

The fact that it took a little longer with the preliminary program, which suited this ice hockey afternoon of the Straubinger against the Eisbären Berlin in the fourth game of the playoff quarter-final: small against large, and the little one kept in a dramatic duel to the second extension. The Happy End was only denied: at 5:28 p.m. they suffered the decisive deep blow, Korbinian Geibel scored in the 84th minute with his first playoff goal to 4: 3 (2: 0, 1: 2, 0: 1, 0: 0, 1: 0). Berlin expanded his leadership in the best-of-Seven series to 3-1-and could already move into the semi-finals on Tuesday.

But the followers of this nerve -wracking game had a forecast three and a half hours earlier. So Ringlstetter lifted: “Straubing Tigers, Mia Gwinnan Mitnand …” – and the pack in the stadium sold out with 5635 spectators proudly voted. But the Lower Bavarian, pragmatist, who he has become in coexistence with the sometimes overwhelming Upper Bavaria, always installs a back door for unpleasant. “And if it is supposed to be like that, losing Mitang.” Sometimes stadium songs also recover.

“You have to be ready against such a team like Berlin from the first minute – and not only from the tenth,” says attacker Leonhardt

In the end, a Miserable first third had disappointed: “Against a team like Berlin, you have to be ready from the first minute-and not only from the tenth,” said Tigers attacker Danjo Leonhardt at Magenta Sport. The record champions from Berlin always looked one step faster, a revolution clever in this flashing sport and stormed 2-0 into the first third break. Liam Kirk (7th minute) and Ty Ronning (11th) brought the capitals into the lead with two far too simply generated goals. Only then did the host register, especially had opportunities through Joshua Samanski, who, according to media reports, changes to the opponent in summer.

But from the second third, the Straubinger, Seventh -placed in the main round, then brought the second Berlin down to their own level – and bite at the right moments: because suddenly the guests collected more and more priority and opened up unexpected opportunities for the tigers. With a total of three PowerPlay goals by Josh Melnick (23rd), Tim Fleischer (40th) and Justin Scott (51.), those who played back until the end of the regular play-“The boys did a great job,” Scott found shortly after compensation.

When he set the puck to 3: 3 in the second attempt in the mouse hole between the skate of Berlin’s goalkeeper Jonas Stettmer and the goal post, it had happened as it happens in this duel as often: As in the past season in the playoff semi-final (the Berlin won 4: 1), the extension had to decide this time in the quarterfinals. At that time, Ronning scored after exactly 110 minutes and 40 seconds, in the third extension by shortly before midnight. It was the third longest game of the DEL history.

This time the Tigers set out to make the game earlier: Mike Connolly conjured up the puck alone in front of the native of Straubinger Stettmer (65th), Scott failed similarly promising on the keeper (76.). In these moments, Berlin only reacted to the outsiders’ actions – and was lucky enough in addition to Stettmer. Before in the second extension, Geibel hit decisively and cheered the whites in front of their little curve. If things go very stupid, the season for the Straubinger with a defeat on Tuesday is already over.