HOCKEYTALK EYE ON EUROPE BY IVO JASCHICK

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Ivo Jaschick's
Eye on Europe
Reporting from Germany and across Europe

Berlin Polarbears win 3rd DEL championship in 4 years
Cologne Sharks win silver medal
by Ivo Jaschick
Hockeytalk.biz

May 13, 2008 -- The Berlin Polarbears are DEL champions for the third time in the last four seasons (2005, 2006, 2008).

CHAMPIONS: Berlin Polarbears
Photo by Dirk Unverferth

They finished second after the regular season and ‘walked’ through the first playoff rounds into the final where the Cologne Sharks were circling.

In a hard fought series they won the DEL Cup in 4 close games {3-2 (OT), 2-1 Col, 4-3, 2-1 (OT)}.

Berlin’s 35 year-old Canadian Steve Walker was named MVP with 27 goals in the regular season (his jersey no. is also 27). In the last game he suffered a knee ligament injury, and it looked like it was the end of Walker’s season. But with the help of a special splint he came back and scored three more goals in the finals – very important ones.

One remarkable aspect of Berlin’s season was that the club had only nine foreign players (6 Canadians & 3 Americans). All DEL Clubs are allowed to execute contracts with up to eleven foreign players. In the case of the Polarbears, 19 are Germans and the team is very young, with an average age of 24.7 years.

Players who could appear in the NHL in future seasons include forwards Constantin Braun (3/11/88), Christoph Gawlik (7/10/87), Florian Busch (1/2/85, scored the season´s last goal), André Rankel (8/27/85) as well as defenders Jens Baxmann (3/24/86) & Frank Hordler (1/25/85).

Cologne Sharks: "Three Mullers" Help Club to Silver Medal

Robert Muller
Cologne Sharks
Silver Medalist, DEL
Photo by Dirk Unverferth

Their DEL finals opponent, the Cologne Sharks, with an average age of just 25.4 were very close to the title, especially with the help of three guys named Muller.

After losing Travis Scott to the Russian Super League, the club got lucky when national goalie Robert Muller was available at that time. Cologne sports director Rodion Pauels did a perfect job in hiring him. Muller did what he had to do and helped the Sharks advance to the finals.

Muller “Number Two,” defenseman Mo(ritz) Muller, played his first whole season at one position (defense) and became a very important part of the Sharks. His name is already jotted down in the note books of some NHL scouts.

The third Muller on this Sharks team is Marcel Muller, a forward whom we will likely see in the NHL soon.

Slovakian forward Ivan Ciernik was the top scorer in the DEL post season with twelve goals, but in the finals his production for Cologne waned. Also on offense for the Sharks is attacker Philip Gogulla, who already is under contract by the Buffalo Sabres.

2nd League Winner Kassel Huskies Return
to DEL Next Season

Next season, the winner of the 2nd league (2. Bundesliga – you can compare this league to the AHL) will complete the DEL (compare it to the NHL) as team # 16.

In an heart attack-causing final of the 2nd league, # 1 seeded Kassel Huskies was beating # 2 Landshut Cannibals in the series ‘Best of Five’ 3-2 (1:0 LC; 6:0 KH; 5:0 KH; 5:4 (OT) LC; 3:2 (OT) KH). Two years after losing the relegation and stepping back into the second league they qualified again for the DEL. In the last decisive game the Huskies had been more fortunate and Canadian blueliner Drew Bannister scored in the 12th minute of the first overtime (71:51) the game/series/championship winner with a slapshot like a canon ball.

The Kassel Huskies are back in the DEL as the 16th team.