Hochstadt Alligators saw off Lindau 7-4 in the Oberliga South on Friday evening, a result that puts the hosts in second place with a single win from their opening fixture. The visitors, meanwhile, drop to 13th after suffering their first defeat of the campaign. A familiar scoreline — the two sides met in February with Hochstadt winning 7-4 as well, though this time the atmosphere felt sharper around the edges.
Both teams came into the match with only one game under their belts this season, and neither had accumulated points yet. Hochstadt had shown flashes of quality in their recent run — a 6-5 victory over Selber and a comfortable 4-1 win against Tolzer Löwen — but also knew how to lose, as their 5-2 defeat to Füssen reminded them. Lindau, on the other hand, had beaten Oberturgau 5-0 before that, suggesting they could spring a surprise against anyone.
We had backed Lindau to win, with 47 per cent confidence, but the match went another way entirely. And here's the thing — it wasn't that Hochstadt dominated possession or territory so much as they took their chances. Lindau switched off at a set piece, and by then Hochstadt had already found a way back into it. The visitors were left exposed in transition, and that proved costly.
The goal difference sits at +3 for Hochstadt and -3 for Lindau after one round, but those numbers mean little when the season has barely begun. What matters is that Hochstadt played in driving rain and still managed to impose themselves, while Lindau looked nervous whenever the puck entered their zone. By then, the momentum had shifted decisively.
Hochstadt's forward line was a menace all night, finding space between the lines and punishing Lindau's defensive structure. The visitors' goaltender made several saves, but the volume of chances eventually told. To be fair, Lindau didn't lack effort — they just lacked composure when it mattered most.
