German Ice Hockey League: New hope for Mannheim: Eagles show character

“I think we lacked looseness in the first three games. We always tripped ourselves up because we wanted it too much. We talked about it and had nothing left to lose,” added Michaelis.

The club from the capital could have completed their title defense with their fourth win in the series. Thanks to Luke Esposito’s goal in the 84th minute, Mannheim could now reduce the score to 2:3 on Sunday (4:30 p.m./MagentaSport) if they can celebrate another win. Otherwise Berlin could make everything clear away from home.

A 3-0 deficit has never been turned around

A Mannheim comeback would be historic: no team has ever been able to turn around a 3-0 deficit in a DEL final. “We shouldn’t even think about that,” said Michaelis. “We have a game on Sunday. We have to try to repeat that.”

Coach and sports manager Dallas Eakins also made a contribution, making some changes. Among others, Hayden Shaw, Tobias Fohrler and Johan Mattsson made their first appearances against Berlin. “They are tough decisions,” said the 59-year-old. “We thought we’d add an extra thrill to the game with them. In the end, you can never be sure. But if you win, it looks pretty good.”