Waiden and Memmingen met in the D2 on Thursday evening, and the visitors took the points with a 3:4 win. It was a game that opened up early and stayed open, fitting the pattern both sides have shown since the season started.
The table hardly moved, or rather, it moved nowhere for the hosts who remain in eighth spot with zero points. Memmingen sit one place above them, still looking at the same number of points but carrying more weight. To be fair, the difference is negligible on paper, but you measure momentum by who is walking away with something.
You didn't need to watch the whole game to know it would be open; Waiden had just lost 3:4 to Bitigheim and 2:7 to Landshut. After fifteen years at the rink, you learn to spot a leaky defence when you see it. Memmingen were no better, having dropped five goals in a 5:6 defeat to Kaufbeuren shortly after their win. These teams play with the doors wide open, trading blows rather than building a wall.
We had this nailed down before the puck dropped, putting 66 per cent confidence on a guest victory. It was not a blind guess based on name recognition, but a read of the defensive shape both sides have been struggling with. And here's the thing, the prediction didn't just come true; it looked inevitable once the first period ended.
The scoreline leaves both sides with work to do before the next round. Waiden will have to turn to the kids or change tactics quickly, because the defensive shape has been porous all season. Memmingen have taken the lead, however slim that lead might be at this stage of the campaign.