The first playoffs in the history of the women's Bundesliga have been completed. In the end, the Memmingen Indians defended their title in a thrilling final series against record champions ESC Planegg. There was a great final atmosphere on and off the ice. This was created on the one hand by the commitment and passion of the players on the ice - but also by the atmosphere in the stands. In Planegg and Memmingen, over 2.300 spectators attended the final series of the women's Bundesliga - a complete success!
The new tension created by the playoff mode was already noticeable in the semi-finals. The eventual champions from Memmingen met the Bergkamen Bears, who gave the defending champions a close duel, even if the results at first glance suggest that the situation on the ice was clearer. Already in the main round, Bergkamen developed into a kind of "bogey team" for Memmingen. In the four direct duels, they had only won one in regular time (5:0). In addition, there was a 3:2 win after extra time, but also two 2:4 defeats. Overall, the Memmingen Indians only lost points in five games in the main round - three of them against Bergkamen and two more games against the eventual final opponents from Planegg. But in the end, the Memmingen players kept their nerve and moved into the final after a 4:2 and 4:1 win against their "bogey team".
The second final participant, ESC Planegg, got off to a furious start in the semi-final series against ERC Ingolstadt. After the first 9 minutes the score was 0-60 between the two opponents. Things looked completely different in the second game: there were only 58 seconds of playing time left on the clock when Kiersten Falck gave Ingolstadt a 3-2 lead. But 33 seconds before the end, Kathrin Lehmann made it 3:3. Then came overtime thrills. Ingolstadt's series equalizer or Planegger's entry into the final? The latter happened because national player Kerstin Spielberger took advantage of a double power situation to score the much-celebrated winning goal for ESC Planegg.
And then the defending champions and the record champions faced each other in the final of the German championship. In a hard-fought first game, the defending champions took the lead. Memmingen defeated their opponents from Planegg 4:1. So everything was set for defending the title. But the record champion from Planegg struck back in Memmingen. In front of over 1.600 spectators, it initially looked like the title would be defended after two games - national player Marie Delarbre and Lena Kartheininger gave the host a comfortable two-goal lead after just eight minutes - but Franziska Feldmeier and the two national players Bernadette Karpf and Julia Zorn turned the game around and equalized the series in Planegger.
So the final showdown for the German championship took place in Memmingen. In front of a good crowd, it was once again the Memmingen players who were able to celebrate twice early on. Taylor Day and national player Marie Delarbre gave the reigning champions a 2-0 lead after nine minutes. Planegg then fought back and tried to score the equalizer, but Memmingen struck again in the 38th minute through Taylor Day and managed the three-goal lead until the final siren. This was followed by scenes of celebration from Memmingen, champagne showers and trophy photos. A great playoff series had found its champion – and it was called again ECDC Memmingen Indians Women. But ESC Planegg can also be happy about being runner-up, even if it is difficult in the minutes, hours and days after the defeat. They and all other teams advertised their sport in the past season of the women's Bundesliga. Advertisement that whets the appetite for the upcoming 2019 IIHF Women's Ice Hockey World Championship in Espoo / Finland (April 4th to 14th, 2019). And then we'll see them again - the finalists and many other players who brought so much joy to German women's ice hockey last season.
The video for the final of the women's Bundesliga:
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The photos of the final series between Memmingen and Planegg:
Photos: Alwin Zwibel / Video: BR