Ice hockey – Eisbären Berlin: With incredible dominance to the title

The polar bear fans had had to wait a long time for this home moment on Friday evening. After the Berlin ice hockey professionals celebrated the title win in Bremerhaven in 2024 and in Munich on foreign ice in 2022, this time hit this a great moment in the fifth final game in the home arena at Berlin’s Ostbahnhof, which was completely sold out with 14 200 spectators. The Berliners, who was in a DEL final for the 14th time, offered a unique demonstration of power against the outsider from Cologne, which is in the DEL without example.

With their incredibly dominant appearances, they caused records that will probably exist for a long time. The Canadian striker Ty Ronning, who was chosen the most valuable player in the final series, was able to set up several records. He collected scorer points in 28 games in a row and in all 14 playoff games and thus achieved new DEL recordes. With 48 goals of the season, he also set up a club record. Leonhard Pföderl, who has been serving the polar bears since 2019, also scored 46 goals in the playoffs in the course of his career, with which he promoted the DEL record holder. And that polar bear goalkeeper Jake Hildebrand and writing nine thirds and 180 minutes without a goal and shone with a playoff fishing rate of 96.7 percent should be difficult to find a repetition.

Eisbear coach Serge Aubin was “incredibly proud” on his players. “We were exposed to so many adversities throughout the season that the team mastered.” National defenders and captain Kai Wissmann, who, after a coarse foul by Cologne Maximilian Kammerer, also had to leave with a hand break in the first minute of the second final: “It was incredibly difficult for me not to have played the last games due to injury. My teammates made it very easy for me to watch. Win three final games in series 7-0 is surreal. “

Anyone who had expected that the Cologne Haie would come back after two 0: 7 bankruptcy in a row in the fifth final duel in Berlin and forced a home game were disappointed. After twelve minutes, the polar bears were 4-0 in the lead and, even in the period, were embarrassed with one wave of attack after the other.

The fact that Cologne’s Finnish coach Kari Jalonen took his gate goalkeeper off the ice after three minutes and replaced by ex-ice bear Tobias Ancicka. Jalons, who had only taken over the coaching position in Cologne this season, admitted frankly: »The polar bears play in another league. They play the best ice hockey, disciplined, fast and efficient. They are superior to the other teams. We also had no real chance either. “

However, with all disappointment, the Cologne team overwhelmed in the final series will be able to look back on a successful season with the first final in eleven years. After all, in the semifinals they threw the main round in Ingolstadt from the master race, which doesn’t happen every day.

The eleventh championship of the polar bears set new standards – not only sporty, but also on the team character and the great emotions after the death of player Tobias Eder, who succumbed to his cancer at the end of January. The memory of the former teammate shaped the entire master celebration. Eder’s fiancee accepted the gold medal on behalf of. “We got this title for Tobi and his family. He will be with us forever. He is part of this team, ”said attacker Marcel Noebels in words what all his teammates felt.

Trainer Serge Aubin, who has won all twelve playoff series with the polar bears since taking office in summer 2019 and shaped the current success era with four titles in five years, reminded that many resistance had to be overcome this season. There were the many failures. In the defensive, in addition to the long injured Mitch Reinke and Markus Niemeläinen, captain Kai Wissmann, probably the best defender of the DEL. So Jonas Müller, Eric Mik, Korbinian Geibel and Norwin Panocha had to take on greater responsibility, which they mastered with flying colors.

Last but not least, sports director Stéphane Richer has succeeded in putting together a squad that is second to none in its depth and quality in the DEL and is probably the best of all time. Now the championship team will be presenting the fans for the master celebration on the square in front of the arena at the Ostbahnhof on May 1st from 2 p.m.