The Cologne sharks have moved back to the final of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) for the first time in eleven years. The eight-time master won 3: 2 (1: 2, 0: 0, 1: 0, 1: 0) after extension after a dramatic comeback on Monday evening and decided the best-of-Seven series with 4: 2. In the final, the sharks meet the Eisbären Berlin.
Justin Schütz scored the winning goal after ten minutes in overtime. Previously, the Cologne team had equalized a 0-2 deficit. Captain Moritz Müller (15th) and Gregor Macleod (46th) were successful for the KEC, Austen Keating (7th) and Wayne Simpson (10th) had taken care of the guests. For the first time in the series, a team managed to turn the interim deficit.
The polar bears had clearly prevailed against the Adler Mannheim in the semifinals
“In the end we made it with a lot of heart and passion,” said Müller on MagentaSport-Mikrophone: “It’s nice, we enjoy it.” After his first playoff goal of the season, Schütz dropped a lot of pressure. “I am glad that it finally worked,” said the striker. The disappointment on the sides of the Ingolstadt -based company. “We came into play well. From the second third we lost a little thread,” said captain Fabio Wagner, who will leave ERC: “It was like the whole series, it was too much.” In the extension, the sharks initially awarded several major chances. When Ingolstadt became dangerous, Schütz used a counterattack to the much -celebrated victory.
The first final game will take place on Thursday (7.30 p.m./Magentasport) in the capital. The polar bears had clearly prevailed against the Adler Mannheim in the semifinals. Ingolstadt, on the other hand, has to continue to wait for the second championship in the club’s history. In 2014 the Panther surprisingly stormed to the title, in the final the ERC defeated the sharks. The dramatic 4: 3 at the time was also the last final participation in the sharks that celebrated its last title in 2002.