Coach Uwe Krupp from the Kölner Haien showed himself combative after the turbulent 3:4 defeat in the play-off quarterfinals of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) at the Adler Mannheim. The Haie were on the verge of their third success on Friday with a series of victories of 2:2. The Haien were already 3-0 up and 3-2 up to half a minute before the end, before Mannheim finally won within 13 seconds with a double from national team players David Wolf and Nicolas Krämmer.
“We are looking ahead. It’s our turn on Sunday,” said former national coach Krupp before the sixth quarter-final game on Sunday (2 p.m.). So far, however, Cologne have lost their two home games against the Adler, who now only need one win to reach the semi-finals. Four wins are necessary to advance in the “best-of-seven” series of the DEL play-offs.
“It’s funny how sometimes an ice hockey game goes,” said Mannheim’s coach Bill Stewart, commenting on his team’s emotional race to catch up. Adler striker Wolf now expects his team to have a mental advantage. “It’s definitely a bitter pill to swallow,” said the 2018 Olympic silver medalist on the internet sports channel MagentaSport, referring to the sharks.
The career of Düsseldorf’s Alexander Barta may have ended
On Sunday, EHC Red Bull Munich and the Straubing Tigers can also follow ERC Ingolstadt into the semi-finals. Munich plays in Bremerhaven with the Fischtown Pinguins (3:15 p.m.) and Straubing with the Grizzlys Wolfsburg (7 p.m./all MagentSport). The top favorite recovered from a series deficit of 0:2 and clearly won the following three games.
ERC Ingolstadt is already in the semi-finals after an equally crazy catch-up race against Düsseldorfer EG. After beating DEG 2:5 and 3:6, Upper Bavaria fought its way into overtime in the final third, where Stefan Matteau secured the fourth win.
Düsseldorf’s Alexander Barta, who played his 1010th game in the DEL, was then close to tears and just wanted to leave. For the 40-year-old captain, it was possibly his last appearance in his career, even if he didn’t want to talk about it “so shortly after the game”. But there are many indications that his career is coming to an end. The contract of the former and long-standing national player has now expired with the end of the season and there is currently no prospect of an extension. Barta is currently the top scorer in the play-offs with nine points. “I tried to work my ass off again,” said Barta, who scored one goal and two assists himself on Friday.
Source: Tagesspiegel
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
