It ain't over until the fat lady sings... - German League Round #17

It ain't over until the fat lady sings... - German League #17

If the competition at the very top has been not as interesting as one might have hoped for, the battle in the middle has been more furious than in ages. How fitting is it that it will all come down to the wire and the last spot for the Play-offs or Play-downs will be decided in the very last game between the two teams that have the best chances.

Before we get to that however, let us take a look at the results of the last weekend.

VfL Red Hocks Kaufering – SSF Dragons Bonn 5:4

Before this round, both teams were still very much in contention for a play-off position, so one team was bound to be very disappointed afterwards. With 5-4 victory for Kaufering it is them that are still in it to win it whereas Bonn will have to start focusing on fighting for survival.

Kaufering had certainly managed to mobilize their fanbase with their late surge on the table. It was not too long ago as they were still at the bottom of the table, but encouraged by the late results, they have certainly managed to turn the tables.

The game itself was a nailbiter to the end. With few goals, it was all but ready to head to the overtime (which Wernigerode was perhaps hoping for being one of the other teams still hoping for playoffs)…but Kaufering had other plans. With only 31 seconds to play, it was Tobias Hutter from the hometeam that allowed the 360 strong homeaudience to erupt. Win for Kaufering leaving it all in their own hands heading to the last game of the season against Hamburg….in Hamburg.

TV Schriesheim – ETV Piranhhas Hamburg 9:8

Another match that ended up close. Schriesheim already cleared for playoffs was never going to get out easy against the Piranhhas as they fight tooth and nail for the last playoff position they still hold.

Schriesheim did look for a while that they were running away with it until the third period where Hamburg found another gear. With their backs against the wall, they clawed back the 9-5 deficit to bring it down to 9-8. Unfortunately for the Piranhhas, the clock did not show any mercy. Once they scored their 8th, it was only some 15seconds left, and thus ended their run. Schriesheim kept the points home leaving Hamburg none. Just leaves it all the more exciting for their last game against Kaufering.

Berlin Rockets – UHC Sparkasse Weißenfels 3:5

Berlin might have found another gear to their game the past few weeks, but it was always going to take something else to take down the UHC. This is something they unfortunately did not find and in front of a lackluster audience of mere 50+ people, it was UHC that walked away to a routine-victory.

MFBC Leipzig – Red Devils Wernigerode 19:4

What was perhaps pictured as an interesting battle between the current champions and the team that fell out of grace only to bounce back and be in contention for playoffs again…..well …it just did not happen.

Wernigerode playing again without their Finnish contingency never managed to put any dent on the Leipzig armor. With 19-4 victory, Leipzig is slowly starting to show the moments of brilliance that took the last year all the way to the title.

Floor Fighters Chemnitz – DJK Holzbüttgen 6:7 (ot)

The 250 or so strong audience in Chemnitz were treated to an entertaining game. Two teams playing at about the same level with both teams actually trying to play the game instead of doing some turtle-defence. As Chemnitz was already clear to playoffs, it was not the case for DJK. Considering the weak run in the beginning of the 2020, it was alway going to be a bit nerve-wrecking for DJK fans (1 present in Chemnitz) to see which team shows up on the day.

The game was quite a nice one to see with the teams taking turns leading the match until the very end. Overtime it was….again for DJK.

Having gone the extra length against Berlin the week before and against Wernigerode just a couple of weeks before, it was not all too unfamiliar territory for them.

As the game resumed and DJK won the faceoff, it came clear what was discussed in the short break before. The coach Backman pulled the goalie Saurbier and DJK piled on the pressure with 6 on 5. With quick ball movement DJK was able to pull of a set play drawn on the boards just minutes before that left the leading scorer Nils Hofferbert free to do his magic. With a wristshot he surely slotted the ball in top corner.

Perhaps DJK is finding their groove again…should be interesting to see what they can still manage with their 2 remaining games….mathematically even place #3 is still possible…but who knows.

So what does the table look like now that were heading for the last weekend of regular competition.

As you can see, the top two are already clear. UHC and Leipzig will be resting the first round of playoffs having finished at the top of the table.

Same could be said about the last two. Berlin and Bonn can both start concentrating on the play-downs….even though Berlin as a host still does participate in the German Cup final-event in just two weeks time.

Oh yes, there is an official statement from the organizers of the Final4 that basically states, the event is still on. The recent events with the Virus and all have not changed anything when it comes to the event. If you wish to read the entire statement, you can do so here (in German).

Final Round regular season

One more time boys….and girls…there is only one more round to play in the regular season and then the real competition starts. Yes I know….two more games for Bonn and DJK but this will not radically change anything for either team…perhaps!

Well there is an outside chance for Bonn still who technically could end up 6th provided they secure wins in both of their remaining games. The problem is they have to go through Leipzig that has shown no signs of slowing down…quite the opposite, as well as Holzbüttgen that was struggling there a bit but has started to show some signs of being ready for playoffs. So a tall order for Bonn….possible, but would require something quite special to pull it off.

So let us take a look at the upcoming games.

I am not really going to go through every game here when there is really only one game that promises to be a Battle Royal of floorball for this season. On 14th of March at 18.00 in Hamburg a battle of enormous consequence for both teams will be fought. The Piranhhas will be playing host to the Red Devils from Kaufering but expect no pleasantries to be exchanged. Both teams will know that the team that wins, is in the playoffs and the loser in playdowns. Yes, technically it is still possible for Wernigerode to go past both of them….but it would require a draw in this game and Wernigerode to beat Berlin with 23 goals or more… I actually had to look it up. According to the rules, the order on the table is defined 1. points, 2. goal-difference, 3. goals scored. So considering the results of both teams as of late, it is unlikely this kind of blowout will take place.

Even if DJK still has 2 games at hand, should they win both of them and Chemnitz would lose their last game against Weißenfels…both entirely possible….DJK would still only tie for points. Since Chemnitz has +36 on the table against DJKs +0, it is unlikely something here will change even if UHC won with 20 goals, DJK would need 8+ goal victories against both Schriesheim and Bonn. Admirable goals but perhaps rather concentrate on staying healthy just before Final4.

So that is it for this time….one more time coming weekend and then it is off to the Final4. Hope to see you there….in the meanwhile…go practise….and wash your hands!

Cheers, Kimmo

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I am kinda busy on the game-weekends and do not have much time to make photos. I will try to find some time to later add some to my articles…in the meanwhile….you’re kind of stuck with the texts….sorrryyyyy..