Eisbären Berlin disappoint: missed the round of 16 of the Champions League!

Eisbären Berlin disappoint: missed the round of 16 of the Champions League!

Yesterday evening an exciting duel in the Champions Hockey League took place in the Eisarena Salzburg. EC Red Bull Salzburg took on Eisbären Berlin and secured the decisive triumph with a clear 4-1 win to preserve their chances of making the playoffs. The audience, consisting of 3,400 enthusiastic fans, experienced a thrilling game and saw how the home team held its own in the group.

The Eisbären, under the leadership of former Capitals coach Serge Aubin, had to do without several injured players. Despite these difficulties, they were prepared to play offensively, but this did not lead to the desired success. The German champions, after the fifth defeat in the sixth main round game, finally found themselves in 22nd place in the final table. As the game progressed, the Berliners found it difficult to take advantage of their chances - a circumstance that ultimately took revenge.

Gameplay and highlights

The game started with an early goal for Salzburg when Connor Corcoran scored in the fourth minute. Despite good opportunities, the Eisbären were unable to respond in the first third, which was to change in the second third. Nash Nienhuis increased Salzburg's lead to 2-0 in the 22nd minute before Lean Bergmann scored just 28 seconds later. But the setback came immediately: Salzburg increased its lead to 4-1 within just a few minutes (31st and 32nd minutes) thanks to goals from Mario Huber and Peter Schneider.

In the final section, everyone present noticed that the polar bears simply couldn't get going. Even though they had several chances, the final score of 4:1 remained until the end. This was an important step for Salzburg to consolidate their place in the Champions Hockey League, where they are currently fighting for 15th place in the table and their participation in the round of 16 is in the balance.

Opportunities in the Champions Hockey League

For EC Red Bull Salzburg, the Champions Hockey League, founded in 2014, is the highest European ice hockey competition. The competition attracts the best teams and offers exciting matches in a format that includes a group stage and subsequent knockout rounds. Currently, 24 teams have the chance to fight their way through the group phase to the round of 16 - with ZSC Lions from Switzerland at the top as defending champions and the record-breaking Frölunda HC from Sweden holding the record with four titles.

The results in the CHL are crucial for the entire season. While Salzburg is currently only three points behind leaders Ljubljana in the ICE Hockey League, it is extremely important for the Eisbären to score quickly in order to get their very unsatisfactory 21st place in the Champions Hockey League under control. A win would have been a valuable way for them to preserve their chances of a playoff hope, which have now deteriorated further.

It remains to be seen how the teams will perform in the coming games. Salzburg have shown some good approaches in the domestic league and if they continue to improve their game, they could perhaps qualify for the knockout phase. However, this will be significantly more difficult now that the Eisbären Berlin are no longer in the race for the knockout phase.