In the playoff round of 16 of the DEB In the Oberliga (regional league), the teams that were considered favorites on paper prevailed. Only the Hammer Eisbären As underdogs, they came close to reaching the quarter-finals, but lost to the Tölzer Löwen 6:2 in the decisive game.
This means the quarter-finals will now feature the following pairings: Deggendorfer SC vs. Füchse DuisburgHannover Scorpions vs. Selber Wolves ECDC Memmingen Indians against Hannover Indians and Tilburg Trappers against Tölzer Löwen. The first game of each series will take place next Friday, March 20th, and the potential seventh game of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for April 2nd. Results and statistics for all four series can be found here:
Deggendorf must once again Nordrhein-Westfalen
Deggendorf SC cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Herford Ice Dragons. Deggendorf's penalty killing was particularly impressive, as they kept a clean sheet in all eight shorthanded situations against HEV. Instead, the DSC even managed to score two goals while shorthanded. Deggendorf also boasted Ty Jackson, the top scorer of the round of 16 with six goals. Duisburg had to fight harder to reach the quarterfinals, having lost to... EV Lindau The Islanders ultimately prevailed 3-1. Both teams secured one overtime victory, and Duisburg also won twice in regulation time. The roster of the Nordrhein-Westfalen Philippe Sanche, a top goalscorer, is among them; he scored only one goal less than Jackson in the round of 16.
Selb wants to stop Scorpions
The Hannover Scorpions celebrated the only double-digit victory in the round of 16 when they defeated the Höchstadt Alligators 11-2 in game three. However, in the other two games as well, there was no doubt about the favorites' status. NiedersachsenBoth teams were the fairest in the round of 16, averaging 5,3 penalty minutes per game, and Jan Pavlu, one of the three most dangerous defensemen, laced up his skates for the Scorpions. The Selb Wolves were forced into overtime once in their 3-0 round of 16 victory against the Saale Bulls Halle, but they mastered this challenge brilliantly thanks to Christopher Schutz. Selb needed the fewest scoring opportunities to find the back of the net, with almost every fourth shot on goal resulting in a goal. Their power play was just as strong as Memmingen's, making them the league's top performer; both teams converted every other power play opportunity.
Memmingen vs. Hannover: Duel of the Indians
The Memmingen Indians are looking to replicate this strong power play performance against their namesakes from Hanover. However, Memmingen's penalty kill was also a factor in their round of 16 matchup against KSW. IceFighters Leipzig at a high level, 87,5 percent of Leipzig's power plays ended without a goal. Sachsen. Although the Bayern Despite being the clear favorites on paper, Leipzig celebrated a victory that was quite decisive at 7-3. Memmingen's response was equally emphatic, with them following up with 9-2 and 7-2 wins. The Hannover Indians navigated their way through the round of 16 undefeated against the EC Peiting, but two of the three matches were won by the club from the by only one goal. Oberliga NordLike Deggendorf, Hannover also managed to keep a clean sheet while playing with ten men. Furthermore, with an average of 3872 spectators per home game in the round of 16, they had the highest attendance of all the teams in the competition. Fans lured into their hall.
After a close round of 16 match, Tölz now faces Tilburg.
The Tölz Lions only managed to secure victory in the fifth and decisive game against the Hammer Eisbären They asserted their position, but relied on their top scorer, Topi Piipponen. The Finn amassed ten points, the most of any player used in the round of 16. However, the Tilburg Trappers, Tölz's opponents in the quarterfinals, boast the highest-scoring defenseman; Giovanni Vogelaar scored seven points, just three fewer than Piipponen. The Trappers managed to advance against the EHF Passau Black Hawks Tilburg secured a 3-0 series victory, even though they had to fight hard in their final match. An early 3-0 lead proved insufficient to maintain Tilburg's advantage, and they suddenly found themselves trailing 3-4 after 36 minutes. However, two further goals in the final period ultimately sealed the series win for the only Dutch team in the Oberliga.
Text: Annette Laqua