Grizzly Wolfsburg — Adler Mannheim: 4:1, DEL

Grizzly Wolfsburg defeated Adler Mannheim 4:1 on Sunday at the Volkswagen Arena in a DEL fixture. The result shifted the standings, with the hosts moving into fourth place and the visitors slipping to fifth after six games. To be fair, this was not the outcome we had anticipated.

The prediction had favoured the away side at 44 per cent confidence, but the match ran in the opposite direction. Wolfsburg started with purpose and kept knocking on the door early, while Mannheim switched off at the back. By then the visitors were already on the back foot, and they never really recovered. And here's the thing about these games — momentum matters more than reputation.

Wolfsburg's recent form had been uneven, with losses to Schwenningen and Augsburg, but they brought a different energy to this one. Mannheim came in with momentum from their 6:1 victory over Iserlohn, yet that run ended here. The visitors refused to go away after conceding, but the old head on the Wolfsburg bench settled them down when it mattered.

In the table, Wolfsburg now sit on three wins from five matches, one place above Mannheim who remain on three victories but have played one more game. The gap between them is narrow, and this result means the pressure shifts to Mannheim for their next outing. We had backed the visitors, but the match showed us otherwise — and that is enough.