Following their resounding victory on Friday, EHC Königsbrunn also prevailed against the league leaders, the Schweinfurt “Mighty Dogs,” with a score of 3-2. In front of a strong crowd of 1723 spectators, the Königsbrunn team emerged victorious after an intense 60 minutes of play.
Both teams were able to field reduced rosters, but still managed to field three full lines. However, Königsbrunn had to do without Stefan Vajs, Joshua Appler, David Farny, Peter Brückner, Hayden Trupp, Leon Bakos, and Luca Wiendl. Benni Beck started in goal for Königsbrunn, with Robin Rieger from the reserve team serving as backup
From the outset, a fast-paced game unfolded between two of the league’s top teams. The hosts had the first good chance in the third minute, but failed to capitalize. Shortly after, ERV Schweinfurt had their first opportunity to take the lead on a power play. The Mighty Dogs applied considerable pressure, but EHC defended with passion, and goaltender Benni Beck delivered a stellar performance, making several crucial saves. However, it was Königsbrunn who scored first. After the visitors pushed into the offensive zone, Clay Ellerbrock deflected Niklas Länger’s shot into the net to give Schweinfurt a 1-0 lead. Schweinfurt remained unfazed and continued to play with determination. Just before the intermission, the hosts launched another attack, but the Königsbrunn defense held firm, and the teams headed to the locker rooms with Schweinfurt holding a 1-0 lead.
The second period remained a closely contested affair. EHC defended well, waiting for mistakes. While shorthanded, Königsbrunn even had chances to extend their lead. The hosts continued to press forward, repeatedly penetrating the Königsbrunn zone. In the 31st minute, the equalizer came: a one-timer from the Blues found the back of the net, making it 1-1. This proved to be a decisive blow; the home team now took control, and EHC lost some of their momentum. Just two minutes later, the Mighty Dogs extended their lead to 2-1, taking their first advantage of the game. Königsbrunn rarely threatened the opposing net after that, but continued to defend with heart and prevented Schweinfurt from scoring again. No further goals were scored before the final intermission.
A one-goal lead is nothing in ice hockey; everything was still possible for Königsbrunn. The EHC had a power play right at the start of the period, which they didn’t convert into a goal, but the Königsbrunn team regained control of the game. Schweinfurt continued to penetrate the Königsbrunn zone, but in the 46th minute, Königsbrunn finally tied the game. A shot from Lion Stange on the right side found the back of the Schweinfurt net, making it 2-2. In the 48th minute, the EHC had some good scoring opportunities, but the home team defended with passion and prevented Königsbrunn from adding to their tally. The game was evenly matched again, and in the 53rd minute, the Mighty Dogs had a golden opportunity, but the EHC scored again on the counterattack. Dominic Erdt surged into the offensive zone on the left side, took a chance, and fired a shot from a sharp angle into the top corner, making it 3-2. Time was now running out for the home team, who threw everything forward but couldn’t add to their lead. Shortly before the end, the Schweinfurt coach took the goalie off the ice in favor of another field player, but the Königsbrunn defense held firm until the end of the game.
With this victory, EHC secured their place in the playoffs with four games remaining in the regular season. The match against the top team from Schweinfurt had everything an ice hockey fan could wish for: pace, intense battles, an impressive atmosphere with fantastic fans, and two teams with an unwavering will to win. While neither team deserved a winner, Coach Bobby Linke was nonetheless delighted with the unexpected victory.
“Today was the top-level match we expected. We had some problems in the first period; Schweinfurt pinned us down a few times and created some scoring opportunities. We narrowly escaped with a goal and were fortunate to score a lucky goal. In the second period, we wanted to eliminate the mistakes and play more compactly, but we only partially succeeded. We initially had good control, but didn’t capitalize on it. After that, the Dogs were dominant and rewarded themselves with two goals. We faced several breakaways, which we addressed during the intermission. In the final 20 minutes, we wanted to take advantage of the chances we kept creating. That’s exactly what happened, and we were rewarded for our hard work. After that, we defended consistently and handled the pressure well. Benni Beck in goal had an outstanding game and kept us in the match. In the end, we’re going home with a lucky win and are happy to have secured the important three points.”
Goals: 0-1 Ellerbrock (Länger, Riedl) (8th min.), 1-1 Alksnis (Cermak, Diel) (31st min.), 2-1 Pinsack (Bares, Schlick) (33rd min.), 2-2 Stange (46th min.), 2-3 Erdt (Weißenhorn, Kent) (53rd min.)
Penalty minutes: ERV Schweinfurt 2 EHC Königsbrunn 6 Attendance: 1723
Image material: https://diz-pix.de/
