Eisbären Berlin claimed a 6-5 victory over Köln on Thursday evening in the DEL, ending a run of mixed results for both sides. The visiting team took the points at home ice, despite Köln having won their previous fixture 4-3 against Frankfurt Löwen. And here's the thing — two games played, two games lost for both clubs, yet the standings remain stubbornly flat.
Köln sat 11th in the table while Berlin held eighth place after their respective second matches of the season. Both sides carried one win and one defeat into this encounter, but neither had accumulated any points yet. The narrow margin of victory — one goal — suggested neither side dominated for long stretches.
Recent form offered mixed signals for both teams. Köln had beaten Frankfurt 4-3 on September 20th before a heavy 4-8 defeat to Grizzlys Wolfsburg. Berlin came into the match after losing 3-4 to Adler Mannheim but followed that with a comfortable 4-2 win over Straubing Tigers. To be fair, momentum shifts quickly at this stage.
The result means Berlin moved ahead of Köln in the early standings, though the gap remains negligible with both sides on zero points. Köln's home advantage proved insufficient against a visiting side that had shown resilience in their previous outing.
By then, the season was barely underway, but the scoreline told a story of end-to-end hockey rather than tactical control. Three points on the line for the visitors, one for the hosts — a result that changes little but promises more excitement ahead.
