Kassel took the points from Bitigheim Steelz on Sunday, winning 2:1 in the Del2. The result came on the 4th of October at the scheduled 15:00 kickoff. It was a match where the visitors showed they could handle pressure on the road.
Bitigheim sat ninth with five games played, two wins and three defeats. Kassel sat fourth, having won four of five and suffered only one loss. Both sides carried zero points in their respective columns, which tells you something about how the season has unfolded so far.
Bitigheim's recent run reads as mixed. They lost 2:3 to Dresdner Eisloewen, then 3:5 against Starbulls Rosenheim, before bouncing back with a 7:3 victory over Weiden. That was followed by a 4:3 win against Lausitzer Füchse and a 1:4 defeat to Regensburg.
Kassel's form has been steadier. After a 3:5 loss to Crimmitschau, they won 2:1 against Freiburg, then took 4:2 off Lausitzer Füchse. A 4:3 win over Starbulls Rosenheim followed, and they finished their last five with a 7:3 victory against Dresdner Eisloewen.
And here's the thing — we had called for an away win before this one, at 45 per cent confidence. To be fair, the visitors' consistency over the last five games made that a reasonable call. Bitigheim's results had been volatile, while Kassel were stringing wins together.
The scoreline does not hide the fact that Kassel were the better side today. They took their chances and saw the game out after going ahead. Bitigheim will need to put together a more coherent performance if they want to climb away from the bottom half.
