Ice Hockey: DEL: Mannheim reaches semi-final, Nuremberg balances in Cologne

The Adler Mannheim are only one victory away from reaching the DEL play-off semi-finals. The seven-time German champion defeated the ERC Ingolstadt 5:3 (0:1, 3:2, 2:0) and leads the best-of-seven series 3:1. Already on Friday (19.30 o’clock) the eagles can make the success in Ingolstadt perfect.

The series between the Cologne sharks and the Nuremberg Ice Tigers is balanced again after the fourth game. The guests from Franconia won 3:2 (2:1, 0:1, 1:0) in Cologne. The 2:2 stand will continue on Friday (7.30 pm in the LIVETICKER) in Nuremberg. So far, no team has been able to take advantage of the home advantage.

Dane Fox (2nd) and Brandon Segal (17th) scored for the guests, Philip Gogulla (12th) and Ryan Jones (40th) scored twice for Cologne before Leonhard Pföderl (53rd) scored for victory as in the first duel in Cologne (3:2 after extra time).

“It doesn’t matter who scores at the end,” said Pföderl, who had won Olympic silver with the German national team in Pyeongchang.

In Mannheim the guests from Ingolstadt were already leading 3-1 after the goals of David Elsner (12th) and Michael Collins (23rd/37th). But David Wolf (39th), Garrett Festerling (40th), Thomas Larkin (43rd) and Matthias Plachta (52nd), silver medal winners from Pyeongchang, turned the match in front of 13,023 spectators. Christoph Ullmann (29th) had scored 1:1.