With around three-quarters of the season gone, Adler Mannheim continue to set the pace in the German Ice Hockey League and have opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the table.
Mannheim, who finished fifth last year before exiting the play-offs at the quarter-final stage, are estimated as second favourites to win the tournament behind EHC Munchen, according to the implied probabilities on the bigbetbookmakers.com site, but they have turned the tables on their rivals and are not yet showing any signs of weakening, with an impressive six-game winning streak.
After winning the title for three years in a row, the pre-season favourites EHC Munchen have not had things their own way this time. Munchen have lost six out of nineteen games at home so far, including both matches against the current league leaders, although they did manage to win in Mannheim. With a seven point lead over Dusseldorf EG and a fifteen point game back to seventh place, Munchen have nothing to worry about in terms of making the play-offs, and they will be hoping that their greater experience at the business end of the tournament will give them the edge.
Dusseldorf have a five point cushion but behind them, the battle for play-off spots looks tight, with four teams separated by just a handful of points. Straubing Tigers appear to be falling out of contention for a top six place after losing their form, so at the moment it looks like being a four-team race for the last three play-off spots between Bremerhaven Penguins, Augsburger Panthers, Kolner Haie and ERC Ingolstadt. Of the four, Bremerhaven look to be in the best form, and they’ve been particularly effective away from home in the second half of the season, but there sure to be plenty of twists and turns in the play-off race before we get to March.
At the other end of the table, Grizzlies Wolfsburg appear to have turned a corner after a run of six consecutive defeats left them at the bottom of the table. A crucial win over Polar Bears Berlin moved them two places higher although they still have a lot of work to do to overcome a thirteen point gap behind the teams that are currently in the Pre-Play Off places.
The Ice Tigers have more of a chance of making the top ten and a crucial win over the Krefeld Penguins closed the gap between the two teams to seven points. The Ice Tigers also have two games in hand, and Krefeld will be looking over their shoulders for the remainder of the season.
Meanwhile, there seems no end to the struggles of Iserlohn. The Roosters have lost ten games in a row to sink to bottom spot and with the Schwenninger Wild Wings also finding some form in December and January, the pressure is on Jamie Bartman to stop the rot.
