Game Summary
The Red Bulls got off to a strong start in Wolfsburg and immediately took control of the game. Yasin Ehliz had the first good scoring chance on the power play (2nd minute). Shortly afterward, the German national team player was fouled on his way to the net. Kahun stepped up to take the penalty shot but was denied by Dustin Strahlmeier’s stick hand (4th minute). Shortly thereafter, the breakthrough came: Taro Hirose set up Rieder, who fired on goal immediately in his 100th DEL game and scored to make it 1-0 (5th minute). Wolfsburg then had its first shots on goal, but Antoine Bibeau was rarely truly tested. Munich remained in control, but the second goal didn’t come. Instead, Grizzlys captain Spencer Machacek struck with clinical precision in the 16th minute. The score was 1–1 heading into the first intermission.
The start of the second period was spectacular: Oswald put the Red Bulls back in the lead on a rebound (21st minute), but Wolfsburg responded just 51 seconds later with a 2–2 equalizer by Luis Schinko. The Grizzlys kept up the pressure until just before the power break. Just as Munich was finding its rhythm again, Julian Melchiori scored to make it 3–2 (32nd minute), putting the hosts ahead for the first time. Munich had to regroup before Oliver David’s team stepped up the pressure. The reward was Kahun’s goal to tie the game at 3–3 (36th minute)—which was also the score at the end of the second period.
Munich came out of the locker room with a lot of momentum and established themselves in Wolfsburg’s zone. Ville Pokka had the best of several good chances with a shot that hit the post (45th minute). The four-time German champions kept up the pressure afterward, but that was as far as it went: Strahlmeier proved to be the final hurdle. Wolfsburg didn’t create any dangerous chances in front of the net again until the closing stages. The Grizzlys had a chance to seal the win on a penalty shot—but Bibeau stopped Matt Choupani’s attempt (60th minute) and sent Munich into overtime.
In overtime, both teams had chances to win. Just under four minutes in, Schinko scored to make it 4–3, securing the extra point for Wolfsburg.
