The Quarter-Finals First Game between Eisbären Berlin and ZSC Lions Zurich was looking to be the perfect night for the German team until the visiting Swiss club came back from 0-3 down to take a 4-3 win and most importantly a one-goal lead into the Return Game of the series on 17 December. What went wrong for the reigning DEL champions?
"Just because we lost the last 30 minutes of this game doesn't mean we're out."Serge Aubin, Eisbären Berlin
"We were in good shape, playing really solid, but we made some mistakes and when you play a team like Zurich, they really take advantage of them," commented Berlin Head Coach Serge Aubin after the game.
"During the first goal, their top guys took advantage of a turnover, the second goal was a result of a penalty and the two in the third period were again punished mistakes," explained Aubin further.
Heading into the Return Game a goal down is a very manageable result. How will Berlin adapt their play to make sure they keep Zurich's scoring chances and key players out of the game?
"We're going to have to stay on our toes and stick to our own game," responded the Head Coach, "early on in tonight's game that worked and we competed well with them, so it's about going back to basics for us."
What more can Berlin do to make sure they don't let the game slip away like they did in the First Game?
"We need to play the full 60 minutes and fight. Just because we lost the last 30 minutes of this game doesn't mean we're out. We still have a lot of hockey to play."
"It's a two-game series and we're just one goal down. We'll be ready for the Return Game," he concluded.
Don't miss the Return Game of this Quarter-Finals series on Tuesday, 17 December at 19:45 CET in the Swiss Life Arena!