The Bietigheim Steelers have met in an exciting final of the DEB-Oberliga against the Hannover Scorpions and can now call themselves Oberliga champions. In seven games, the maximum possible, and after a total of four overtimes, the Steelers won the decisive seventh match against the Scorpions 2-1.
Only home wins in the first six matches
With the Hannover Scorpions and the Bietigheim Steelers The runners-up of the regular season of their respective Oberliga divisions reached the final. Both teams performed at a similarly high level in the final series, so that four of the first six games were decided in overtime. In game one, Jordan Knackstedt redeemed the Scorpions in front of their home crowd with his winner in the 74th minute, in the third match, Allan McPherson scored the 67:4 for Hanover in the 3th minute. In match number five, Pascal Aquin scored the winning goal for Mellendorf in the 70th minute, and in the sixth duel, Bietigheim showed that they too can win an overtime. Alexander Preibisch aimed particularly well and let the Baden-WürttembergHe was celebrating in the 63rd minute – they had thus fended off the Scorpions' first match puck and saved themselves into the seventh game.
Everything is open in game seven
In the seventh duel, there was no longer a favorite: Bietigheim managed to win twice after 60 minutes – including 6:2 in their first home game – but Hannover shone with comeback qualities and was nerve-wracking enough for three of the four overtime victories.
The seventh meeting took place in Mellendorf. And it took a long time until the first goal was scored. In the 37th minute, Christoph Kiefersauer provided the first Bietigheim celebration. In the final attack of the Hanoverians, Preibisch then scored the second goal for the southern Germans, which the Niedersachsen had a quick answer. 13 seconds later, Stephan Tramm scored the 2:1. For the last 2:07 minutes, the Steelers successfully defended their own goal, so that they can now call themselves Oberliga champions 2024/2025 and, one year after relegation, can celebrate direct promotion back to the DEL2. With Bietigheim, a club from the Oberliga Süd won the Oberliga championship.
Alexander Dück: “The character of my team was uniquely good”
Even one day after the great triumph, Bietigheim's head coach Alexander Dück was still enthusiastic about the exciting final series: "We knew it would be a close series, because we had already beaten the Scorpions in the semifinals against the Heilbronner Falken seen. And we know from the regular season how difficult it is to win against Heilbronn." Dück didn't only have relaxed moments on the bench in game seven; he cites two phases as examples. "During the Scorpions' first power play, we were lucky with two shots hitting the crossbar and post, but the last two minutes weren't easy either. We had just conceded the first goal and then received a penalty. And we knew very well how Hanover's players were capable of really pushing hard, especially towards the end. Luckily, it was enough for us."
After two consecutive relegations, the Steelers have now celebrated a promotion. How important is this success for the location? "Very important, because Bietigheim is a hockey town. We had great support this season from the Fans and everyone around us. Everyone believed in us, and the harmony within the team and the character of the players were unique. Our goal from the start was promotion, and that's how we put the team together. In this context, Alexander Preibisch being our first signing was a particularly important sign. He had already played in the DEL with Bietigheim, was then relegated twice, but remained loyal to the team and still believed in our goals even after the second relegation." And the Steelers made these goals a reality on Tuesday evening.