Straubing Tigers took on Bremerhaven in the DEL on Thursday evening and emerged with a 4-3 victory. It was a match that stretched the back line and refused to let either side settle into rhythm. By then the crowd had roared them on, though the scoreline tells only part of the story.
Things came to a head more than once. Bremerhaven were not far away at any stage and kept his side in it long after the hosts had taken their lead. Straubing nicked it when it mattered, and that is often how these games are decided — not with volume, but with timing.
We had called a home win at 50 per cent confidence, and the result backed that up. Not because Straubing dominated, but because they took their chances when the game tightened. To be fair, Bremerhaven could have finished on the right side of things if they had been sharper.
The table says nothing yet. Both sides sit on eight points after four matches, two wins each, two defeats. Fourth place with zero games and zero points would mean something, but here the standings are still finding their shape. The gap between them is negligible.
Straubing's recent form had been mixed — three wins and two losses in their last five — while Bremerhaven showed similar inconsistency. They had beaten Iselhorn but lost to Wolfsburg and Munich. Now both return to the fixture list with fresh momentum.
And here's the thing: the result keeps the league fluid. No one is pulling away, and no one is in danger. It is a phase where every point feels heavy, and tonight's three points might look different in six weeks' time.
