Intermediate round of the Oberliga Nord ready to go

This year the Oberliga Nord A new format is in place, as the main round is followed by an intermediate round. For this, the teams are divided into two groups: Group one includes the clubs that finished the main round in positions one through five, and Group two consists of the teams that finished sixth through eleventh in the main round. The intermediate round replaces the pre-playoffs, so all participants in Group one can already plan for the playoffs. The main goal in Group two is to finish the intermediate round in first through third place, as these also qualify for the playoffs.

The Hannover Scorpions, the Hannover Indians, the Tilburg Trappers, and the others have qualified for Group One of the intermediate round. Füchse Duisburg and the Saale Bulls Halle qualified. With one game day remaining in the regular season, the Scorpions have the most wins in regulation time with 26 and the fewest losses in regulation time with nine. However, the season hasn't been smooth sailing for the Scorpions, as a weaker run forced them to change coaches. The Hannover Indians have also undergone a head coach change, and like the Scorpions, they have managed to stabilize their performance. However, they could still be overtaken for second place on the final game day, as the Tilburg Trappers are lurking just two points behind in third.

 

Duisburg and Halle secure playoff spots

The battle for fourth and fifth place remained open for a long time, with Duisburg and Halle, as well as the following teams, in contention at times: Hammer Eisbären and the KSW IceFighters Leipzig Hamm was involved. Hamm had a good chance of reaching Group One, but they couldn't maintain their form throughout the regular season. After a seven-game losing streak, they managed to win their last three regular-season games, but by then their hopes of advancing to Group One of the intermediate round had already been dashed. This was also due to the strong form of their rivals. Duisburg won eight of their last nine games. The Saale Bulls Halle also won seven times in the same period, but needed overtime more often than the Füchse. Duisburg and Halle now enter the intermediate round with great confidence, where, in addition to facing each other, they will only have to play the top teams from Hannover and Tilburg. Since all these teams have already secured their playoff spots, home-ice advantage is at stake.

 

Who will make it to the playoffs from group two?

In the intermediate round group two, the Hammer Eisbären, the KSW IceFighters LeipzigThe TecArt Black Dragons Erfurt, the Herner EV Miners, the Rostock Piranhas, and the Herford Ice Dragons are all in this group. With one game day remaining in the regular season, Hamm and Leipzig already have a slight lead over their pursuers; the gap between Leipzig, currently seventh in the regular season, and Erfurt, currently eighth, is nine points, while Hamm, in sixth place, has a 14-point advantage. If Hamm and Leipzig can maintain this lead, the battle for third place will be particularly intense in this group, as this is the final spot that qualifies for the playoffs. Currently, with one game day left in the regular season, the Black Dragons Erfurt hold this position and a three-point lead over Herne. Rostock follows six points behind Erfurt, and Herford is nine points behind the Black Dragons.

 

The intermediate round begins immediately after the end of the main round.

The intermediate round starts this coming Sunday, February 1st, and ends on March 3rd. The complete schedules for both groups will be created after the last match day of the main round this coming Friday and can then be found at the following links:

https://deb-online.live/liga/herren/oberliga-nord/?divisionId=19895 (Intermediate round Group one)

https://deb-online.live/liga/herren/oberliga-nord/?divisionId=19896 (Intermediate round group two)