Game Summary
“A top-tier game at exactly the right time, so close to the playoffs,” said Munich captain Patrick Hager, looking forward to this derby. The Red Bulls got off to a strong start: Taro Hirose delivered a perfect cross-ice pass right at the start of the third minute, and DeSousa converted it for a 1-0 lead. The momentum continued as McKenna pushed the puck over the line for a 2-0 lead for the determined hosts (9th minute), and then Ehliz extended the lead to 3-0 on a counterattack (12th minute). In the 20th minute, Rieder even added to the lead with a 4-0 halftime score following another quick counterattack.
In the second period, it took just 105 seconds for Ehliz to beat Florian Bugl, who had replaced Henrik Haukeland in the Straubing net. A brace and a 5-0 lead for the Red Bulls (22nd). Munich then skillfully kept the visitors at bay and created several chances for a sixth goal. In the 33rd minute, the moment arrived: Rieder rounded out the half-dozen with a solo effort, also scoring a brace that evening. Five minutes later, the Tigers got on the scoreboard thanks to Michael Connolly’s goal, making it 1-6. But the four-time German champions had the final say in the second period: Ehliz’s third goal gave them a 7-1 lead heading into the second intermission.
The Red Bulls also made the first statement of the final period: On the power play, DeSousa joined the ranks of the game’s two-goal scorers with the 8-1 goal (44th minute). Assist: Alberts Smits, who thus recorded his first DEL point. Just two minutes later, McKenna, the next player to score twice, made it 9-1, before DeSousa’s third goal in the 52nd minute pushed the final score to 10-1, marking the first time Munich’s DEL record had reached double digits.
