“Completely unnecessary”: The Eisbären have to rally again in the final against the Eagles

In a small detour, with the score at 3:3, the decision could have been in favor of the Eisbären, which would have also meant their twelfth title. But it wasn’t her. Instead, a little later Luke Esposito was at the center of Mannheim’s celebration after he made it 4-3. And thus kept his team in this final series.

Serge Aubin is annoyed by the sudden loss of control

It can be assumed that this turn of events in this duel really upsets the polar bears. Until seven minutes before the end of regular time, with the score at 3-1, everything looked as if the Berliners would be able to play this fourth game confidently and then celebrate themselves and have an exuberant title party with the fans.

It was clear to coach Serge Aubin how annoyed he was by the way the guests found their way back into this game. Defender Markus Niemeläinen, who was recently a spectator and replaced the suspended captain Kai Wissmann, allowed himself a foul in the attacking zone and received a four-minute time penalty.

Aubin complained that this action was “completely unnecessary.” “We had the game under control beforehand.” After the 2-3 goal for the Eagles, which fell when Berlin was outnumbered, control was completely gone.

Now the resilience that usually characterizes polar bears after such a setback is required once again. They now lead 3-1 and still have two match pucks. But they have to refocus after this surprising turn of events.

“We’re analyzing the whole thing, then we’ll have a very good training session on Saturday – and then we’ll go into the game on Sunday with full attack,” said striker Frederik Tiffels. Game five continues at 4:30 p.m.

The season is extremely strenuous for the national players

But of course, professionals like Tiffels, who were part of Germany’s squad at the Olympic Games in Milan, are feeling the side effects of this unusually strenuous season. After the first two play-off series, the Eisbären also played two more games than the Adler.

The Berliners are now definitely warned that a game against the Adler is not a sure-fire success – even if it had looked that way in the three previous games. Overall, coach Aubin was not happy with the attitude in this game. “We didn’t play anywhere near our best hockey,” he said.

The Eagles drew and used the last available joker. Coach Dallas Eakins had once again decided on the greatest possible rotation that the squad would allow. With a few fresh faces and strengths, the Mannheim team appeared more resilient than before.

In 2022, the Eagles overcame a 2-0 series deficit against the Eisbären, only to lose in the fifth and decisive game. But the task now is much more difficult with the score at 1:3. So far, they have been hopelessly overwhelmed by the Berliners, especially in their own hall.