The two top leagues of the DEB are heading towards the finish line of the main round. On 21 February, both the Oberliga Nord Like its counterpart in the south, it is its last matchday before the playoffs – so the teams still have just under five weekends on their agenda to get into a better position in the race for the coveted spots.
In the north, the Tilburg Trappers have been at the top of the table for some time - 27 victories compared to just eight defeats. The average goals scored of more than five per match also speak volumes. The Dutch team celebrated their longest winning streak from the beginning of November to mid-December last year, when they left the ice as winners ten times in a row. The Hannover Scorpions have won eight times in a row, and are currently second in the Oberliga Nord. Niedersachsen experienced this series from matchday two to matchday nine, after previously playing against KSW IceFighters Leipzig Perhaps they could already guess that the Sachsen, currently third in the rankings, would have a strong season.
Suspense at the end of the top ten
While the teams at the top of the league hardly have to worry about making it into the playoffs, things are different around position ten. The Rostock Piranhas are currently in eighth place. But just two points behind the Hanseatic city team is a trio consisting of the Saale Bulls Halle, the Füchse Duisburg and the TecArt Black Dragons Erfurt. These three teams each have 41 points to their name, with Rostock and Halle having played one game less than Duisburg and Erfurt. However, the form curve speaks against the Piranhas, who have been suffering from an injury crisis for weeks, especially in defense. This has pushed the team, which quickly found its feet after a bad start to the season and stormed to fourth place in the table, back to the lower regions of the rankings.
Herner EV wants to give up the red lantern
The Herne EV Miners are bottom of the table in the north, but they still show their skills time and again. For example, they lost in a penalty shootout against league leader Tilburg and sent Duisburg home 0-5 in the Ruhr derby. Even though Herne is already ten points behind tenth place, they still have a chance of reaching the playoffs.
Bietigheim and Heilbronn in a close title duel
In the Oberliga Süd Meanwhile, there is a close head-to-head race for first place. Bietigheim Steelers and Heilbronner Falken are the protagonists, both are separated by just one point. They have already faced each other three times this season and all matches ended with just one goal difference. Bietigheim won twice, Heilbronn celebrated one triumph. If both teams move in lockstep towards the end of the season, a very special treat awaits on the final match day of the main round: The Steelers will travel to the Falken and have the final say with the home team on the question of the main round champion.
Deggendorf and Memmingen with home advantage in sight
In third and fourth place, with a difference of three points, are the Deggendorfer SC and the ECDC Memmingen Indians The way to the top is still open for them and they have a comparatively large lead over their pursuers. The Tölzer Löwen, in fifth place, have already collected 21 points less than the team from Memmingen, so that the top 4 are clear favorites for the playoff home advantage places going into the final weeks of the main round.
Hot phase in the fight for playoff entry
A Parallele to Oberliga Nord can be seen in the fight for the top ten. If the difference between eighth and eleventh place in the north is two points, then between ninth and twelfth place in the south it is seven points. The EV Füssen and the EC Peiting would currently move into the pre-playoffs, the onesto Tigers Bayreuth are in eleventh place, just two points behind Peiting. And the EHF Passau Black Hawks have every chance with two points less than Bayreuth. It will be a little more challenging for the Stuttgart EC, who have to make up eleven points to qualify for the playoffs. The Swabians have nevertheless developed significantly in their second year in the Oberliga and have caught up with the teams ahead of them. The Hammer Eisbären from the Oberliga Nord, who, like Stuttgart, finished their first season in the Oberliga in 2020/21 as bottom of the table, but were already sixth in the main round rankings last year.