DFEL record champions ESC Planegg have won their first championship title in German ice hockey since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. The runner-up in the main round defeated in the final of the Final Four tournament of the Women's Bundesliga (DFEL) in Füssen Eisbären Juniors Berlin with 4:1 (1:0, 1:0, 2:1) and won the German championship for the eighth time in the club's history. The BerlinThe day before, they had surprisingly faced off against main round winners ERC Ingolstadt enforced. The Donaustadt team secured a 2:1 (2:1, 0:0, 0:0) win against them ECDC Memmingen Indians at least third place.
Planegg already had noticeable advantages in the first third of the final against courageous polar bears. Kerstin Spielberger (7th) brought coach Marcel Breil's team onto the winning path before Theresa Knutson had a great equalizing chance Berlin but failed with a penalty from Planegg's goalkeeper Franziska Albl. Jacyn Reeves (40th) increased the score to 2-0 shortly before the end of the second third. In the final period, Justine Reyes (41') scored for Planegg in the power play and Spielberger (60') scored her second goal a few seconds before the final siren. In the meantime, after Lucie Gelhaar's 1:3 (52nd) there was a brief hope Berlin .
In the small final, Ingolstadt got off to a perfect start and quickly took a 1-5 lead thanks to Tanja Eisenschmid (2st) and Celina Haider (0th). Memmingen shortened the score to 17:1 in the first third through Sonja Weidenfelder (2th). The ERC had to fight hard until the last seconds of the game to defend their narrow lead.
The Final Four tournament marked the end of a season that ran almost smoothly despite the corona-related restrictions and in which very few games were postponed. The German national players are now looking ahead to the World Cup in Canada (May 6 to 16), and the first phase of preparation for the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund's selection starts on March 22. The team will be coached at the World Cup by Franziska Busch, representing women's national coach Christian Künast.
DEB-Interim sports director Christian Künast: “We saw very intense and good women's ice hockey from the four best teams of the season and a surprising finalist. There were also a lot of national players to watch, which made it even more interesting. It was an all-round success and the tournament organization deserves thanks for that.”
U18 women’s national coach Franziska Busch: “They were interesting and close games at a good level. You could also observe a mental component here, because a tournament like this also means a special pressure situation. The tournament was a reflection of the season, because Berlin was always good for a surprise before. The team that performed well twice ultimately won. The national players will now have a week of regeneration to clear their heads and then we will meet on March 22nd for the first phase of World Cup preparation.”
Monika Pink (captain ESC Planegg): “Every year, every time it’s a blast, every time with a new team. To reform the team and then win again. So many players have said they can’t believe it, it’s crazy.”
Franziska Albl (goalkeeper ESC Planegg): “Every championship is special and especially after a year like this with all the difficulties, it’s just crazy to win this thing. We worked really hard all season and gave it our all this weekend.”
All photos: Dominic Pencz
Here you can find all the statistics for the Final Four tournament: https://www.gamepitch.de/deb/frauen/frauen-bundesliga/