Copyright: dpa
Heated scenes on March 24, 2023 between Adler Mannheim and the Kölner Haie.
This is not for the faint of heart: The quarter-final series between Adler Mannheim and the Kölner Haie continued on Friday evening. The sharks experienced a drama!
Time is now! (The time is now!) – that’s the motto of the Kölner Haie in the playoffs! And now the players wanted to show that they are ready. But the KEC players experienced drama in Mannheim.
On Friday evening (March 24, 2023) the fifth game in the quarter-final series was played by the Adler from Mannheim. Cologne looked like the winner for a long time, already leading 3:1, but shortly before the end Mannheim turned the game around and won 4:3 in the end. What an insane game. This means that Mannheim now has their fourth win and thus the semi-finals in Cologne on Sunday. In the series, the Eagles lead 3:2 after their first home win.
DEL playoffs: Adler Mannheim – Kölner Haie 4: 3
KEC trainer Uwe Krupp (57) said after the last defeat: “I have absolute confidence in the lads. We fought our way back into games all season and learned lessons from losses. We’ll be ready by Friday.” That’s what it looked like at first.
After five minutes Jason Bast had a big chance for the Haie, but he missed. The Cologne team started extremely concentrated, but the Adler were also dangerous: Gaudet missed a good opportunity after seven minutes – he could have played again on colleague Reul. Plachta then moved alone in front of Cologne’s Mirko Pantkowski.
Emotions boiled over a little later: the first real fight. With consequences: Louis-Marc Aubry has to go down 2+2, Plachta only two minutes. Shortly thereafter, Mannheim’s Lehtivuori and Cologne’s Carter Proft 2+2 also had to go down – that was pretty heated!
Before the break, KEC coach Uwe Krupp grabbed the refs and asked them to take a closer look. However, Bergmann received only a small penalty after his gang check. Then a few fists flew again and with mutual insults we went to the cabins. Cologne much more active in the first third: 11:7 shots on goal for the KEC.
Cologne started the second third again with good chances, but Thuresson, Glötzl and McIntyre couldn’t put the puck in the box. Then Nick Baptiste hammered the disc on goal and made it 1-0 for the Haie. Not undeserved after 25 minutes. Outnumbered, the Cologne team was happy: Jentzsch’s shot hit the post.
Kölner Haie initially more active in front of goal
A little later, Cologne celebrated again: Jan Luca Sennhenn made it 2-0 in the 29th minute. After 30 minutes: 17:10 shots for the sharks. A moment of shock followed: After a puck hit, one of the referees remained on the ice. But he was able to get up after a few minutes, left the ice and was treated in the dressing room – a tough guy, he came back. The team of referees four again.
The sharks cheered again! Brady Austin threw the puck into the net in the 33rd minute to make it 3-0 – Tiefensee in the Adler-Tor saw nothing at all. Can the eagles come back again, many wondered. Shortly before the end of the second period, the hosts scored their first goal: David Wolf poked the puck past Pantkowski.
Cologne’s Sennhenn said at MagentaSport before the last section: “Defensive comes first, give everything. They will come again now, but I hope for a happy ending for us.” Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
The eagles put a lot of pressure on. Eight minutes before the end of regular time, Plachta made it 2-3 for Mannheim. Oh my, how exciting was that! Mannheim fans were all there now!
In the majority after a stick hit by Mannheim’s Eisenschmid, the guests could not close the sack. The eagles complete again four minutes before the end of the third period. Jason Bast had the 4:2 on the trowel, but Tiefensee was there. Then the Eagles took the goalie off the ice for an extra player to overman. Wild scenes followed in front of the Haie gate. 31 seconds left on the clock when the doorbell rang: 3:3 by Wolf! And then Pantkowski slips through a Krämmer shot 18 seconds before the end: 4: 3 for Mannheim.
Cologne’s Maxi Glötzl said after the game: “We lost our heads at the end. But it continues on Sunday, these are playoffs.”
DEL playoffs between Mannheim and Cologne – so it goes on:
In the best-of-7 series it is a total of 3: 2 for Mannheim. So far, only the eagles could win a home game. Whoever has four wins first is in the semi-finals.
The quarter-final dates of the Kölner Haie:
Quarterfinals 1: Adler Mannheim – Kölner Haie 0:4
Quarterfinals 2: Kölner Haie – Adler Mannheim 1:2
Quarterfinals 3: Adler Mannheim – Kölner Haie 2:3 a.e.t.2.
Quarter final 4: Kölner Haie – Adler Mannheim 3:7
Quarter final 5: Adler Mannheim – Kölner Haie 4:3
Quarter-final 6: Sunday, March 26, 2 p.m.: Kölner Haie – Adler Mannheim
Take our survey here:
A possible seventh game would bring the decision in Mannheim on Tuesday, March 28th. But if Mannheim wins in Cologne, the series is over. The action continues in the Lanxess Arena on Sunday (2 p.m.). Over 15,000 tickets have already gone.
Actually, game 6 should have taken place in Krefeld on Sunday. But after Helene Fischer (38) broke his ribs, the concerts are canceled and the arena is free for the sharks.
