Munich - The clubs of the German Women's Ice Hockey League (DFEL) have, at the suggestion of the league management, registered with the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) decided to hold the playoffs in the “best-of-2021” format for the first time in history in the current 22/5 season. Last season, the champions of ESC Planegg-Würmtal were determined in a final tournament due to the pandemic.
“Our goal is the further development of the league,” says Markus Schubert (head of gaming operations at DEB)"We were looking for a way to make positive use of the unfortunate situation of missing out on Olympic qualification, and the playoffs are the best season for ice hockey. This small step is just the beginning of a series of measures that we are planning for the DFEL."
The single-track 1st women's ice hockey Bundesliga has existed since the 2006/07 season. In the 15th year of existence, teams now need three wins in the playoffs instead of just two to advance for the first time.
According to the new schedule, the main round ends on February 20, 2022. The playoffs start on the weekend of February 26 and 27, 2022 with the first two semi-final games. The first and second teams in the main round have home advantage. The finals start on March 12, 2022. The champions will then be determined by March 26, 2022 at the latest.
Detailed statistics on the DFEL can be found here: https://bit.ly/dfel_2122