The Oberliga starts the 2017/18 season this weekend. A total of 26 teams are competing in the two-tier league, 14 in the north and twelve in the south. With a balanced field of participants, the fight for promotion to the DEL2 is likely to be tighter than in recent years.
While the Tilburg Trappers have set the tone in the north by winning two league championships in the last two years, they are once again considered the team to beat this season. The co-favorites are: Füchse Duisburg, the ESC Wohnbau Moskitos Essen and the Hanover Indians. After the merger of the Hannover and the Wedemark Scorpions, one of the Lower Saxony derbies was no longer held, but the games between the two had to be played Hamburg Crocodiles and the Hanover teams already had derby potential last season. Overall, the north has become stronger across the board, because while teams like Duisburg, Herne, Essen and Tilburg were always ranked at the top in the past, this season the teams from Rostock, Hamburg and Hannover, who have strengthened well on paper.
At the start of the season, the reigning Oberliga champions from Tilburg welcome the capital city team from ECC Preussen Berlin, the Herner EV meets the ESC Wohnbau Moskitos Essen and in the NiedersachsenIn the derby, the newly merged Hannover Scorpions meet the Harzer Falken.
In the south there are two new faces in the league this year with the newcomers from TEV Miesbach and ECDC Memmingen Starbulls Rosenheim, who are relegated from the DEL2 and are now also considered favorites for promotion. But especially EV Landshut, which has increased its personnel, as well as the Eisbären Regensburg and the Selber Wölfe are likely to be close on the heels of the traditional Upper Bavarian club. The Deggendorfer SC is an insider tip for one of the top places.
League newcomer ECDC Memmingen Indians welcomes the Selber Wölfe at the start of its first league season, while TEV Miesbach also plays on home ice against the EC Peiting plays and in the EHC Waldkraiburg derby “The Lions” face the Starbulls Rosenheim meets. On the second matchday, the game between Rosenheim and Landshut is one of the most traditional duels in Germany.
The main round of the Oberliga Nord begins on Friday, September 29.09.2017th, 26 in the form of a single round with 28.12.2017 games and ends on December XNUMXth, XNUMX. The main round of the Oberliga Süd also begins on September 29.09.2017th, 32 and ends after 14.01.2018 games on January 8th, 14. The first seven teams in the north then move on to the championship round, while the teams in places XNUMX to XNUMX play off the last play-off participant as well as a relegated team. In the south, the first eight teams reach the championship round, the teams from ninth place play in the interlocking round with the best Bayernleague teams for the four places in the Oberliga. This year, the play-offs will be played from the first round onwards between the best eight teams in the south and north.
Marc Hindelang, DEB-Vice President."I'm looking forward to an exciting season with hopefully many spectators again. The sporting quality has increased again in both leagues, and there are also traditional locations in the south such as Rosenheim, Miesbach and Memmingen. Player legends like our ex-national player Christoph Schubert (Hamburg) and Jan Benda (Memmingen), who give the league a positive face.”
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