The DEL’s top trio is even further ahead of the competition for the start into 2018. Leader Nuremberg Ice Tigers, Champion Red Bull Munich and the Polar Bears Berlin won at the same pace on Tuesday evening and are turning the race for the main round championship more and more into a triathlon.
Nuremberg won 3:2 (2:1,1:0,0:1) against Iserlohn Roosters and is still in the lead with 81 points. The residents of Munich (79) stay in striking distance by 4-1 (2-1,0-0,2-0,2-0) against Adler Mannheim, with Berlin following 5-0 (1-0,4-0,0-0,0-0) and equal points against Schwenninger Wild Wings.
The Grizzly’s Wolfsburg are currently the best pursuers, and with a 19-point gap to Nuremberg, the runner-up is fourth. Schwenningen and Iserlohn (both 56) occupy places five and six.
In the Rhineland derby against the Duesseldorf EC, the Cologne sharks also suffered a painful home defeat. In front of 15,529 spectators, the guests prevailed 1:0 (0:0,1:0,0:0:0) and both teams now have equal points (54) in positions seven and eight.
The favourite was particularly impressive on the ice at Berlin’s Ostbahnhof. In the first period Schwenningen still held a narrow 0:1 gap, but in the second period the polar bears made everything clear: With three goals in only 1:12 minutes Michael Dupont (35th), Martin Buchwieser (35th) and Daniel Fischbuch (36th) provided the preliminary round.