Saturday, 03. October 2026 |
DEL Preview, Matchday 6: Red Bulls Host Augsburg
Our Form
The Red Bulls are heading into the derby with a lot of momentum. On Friday, Coach Oliver David’s team put in a strong overall performance and took home three well-deserved points from Cologne with a 4–2 victory. This means that, following our win over Mannheim (4–3 in a shootout) against the Haie, we’ve now defeated a second top-tier team and secured our third win in five games.
“We did a good job. We were direct with the puck and played smart. That allows us to apply pressure up front, and that’s one of our strengths,” said forward Lucas Thaler afterward. The Austrian national team player scored the crucial equalizer on the power play at the Lanxess Arena, notching his second goal of the season.
Highlights: Kölner Haie vs. EHC Red Bull München (October 2, 2026)
// Gameday
So far, though, our team hasn’t managed to put in a consistent 60-minute performance across both games this weekend. Against Augsburg, we want to replicate Friday’s performance. “That’s how we need to play in every game—we have to be more consistent,” Thaler acknowledges.
Get your tickets and come experience the derby LIVE!
The Opponent
The Augsburger Panther also have three wins in five games. And the team from Augsburg, currently in seventh place with eight points, got off to a successful start to the weekend. The AEV secured a commanding 5-2 victory over Wolfsburg and showed that their newly formed offense is really starting to click. Led by D.J. Busdeker (already with four goals), Augsburg has scored 20 times so far. However, the team’s leading scorer is a defenseman: Kyle Mayhew. The American has nine points (seven assists) and is thus the DEL’s top-scoring defenseman.
There were plenty of personnel changes over the summer. Head Coach Bill Peters welcomed twelve new players to his team (one goaltender, four defensemen, seven forwards). Among others, the team added goalie Tobias Ancicka from Cologne, as well as Noel Hoefenmayer, a promising offensive defenseman who most recently played in the AHL and the KHL, where he made a name for himself.
Of course, we’re very familiar with Trevor Parkes. The Canadian forward, who has held a German passport since last season, moved from Dresden back to Augsburg—the very place where his career in Germany began in 2016. The AEV also recruited Jimmy Lambert (Wolfsburg) from Germany, as well as Sean Malone (most recently with Langnau) and Luke Toporowski (AHL) from other European leagues and North America.
“They’re a hard-working team, and their coach places great emphasis on details,” says Ryan Murphy, assessing the opponent.
The Showdown
As we all know, derbies are the icing on the cake and often write their own stories. Both teams have already shown this season that they’re dangerous in front of the net—but they can also hold their own defensively. The Red Bulls want to carry the momentum from the Cologne game right into this one, while the Panthers will put up a fight and look to make their mark.
“We know what derbies mean to our fans. Our goal is to make them proud. I wish every hockey player could feel the energy in our arena when the derby begins,” says Murphy, highlighting what makes this matchup special.
Player in Focus
Taro Hirose is really hitting his stride. Last year’s leading scorer has recorded points in each of the past four games, setting up six goals in the process. With seven points, the left winger is once again leading our scoring rankings. The line featuring Hirose, Thaler, and Rieder is clicking better and better.
Mit Trevor Parkes spielte Hirose in München allerdings nicht zusammen – und das, obwohl Parkesy sieben Spielzeiten lang für die Red Bulls auf Torejagd ging. Mit 128 Treffern ist der bullige Stürmer hinter Yasin Ehliz (149) noch immer der zweitbeste Torjäger unserer DEL-Geschichte.
„Immer wenn ein Spieler auf sein früheres Team trifft, will er etwas beweisen“, warnt Murphy. Auch in dieser Spielzeit war Parkes schon zweimal erfolgreich. Wir sind also gewarnt.
Zahlen und Fakten
Die letzten Derbys waren allesamt eine klare Angelegenheit, denn München gewann saisonübergreifend die vergangenen sieben Spiele gegen Augsburg in Folge. Im insgesamt 72. Duell soll nun der 49. Sieg folgen. „Wir wollen uns auf unser eigenes Spiel konzentrieren, die Energie unserer Fans im SAP Garden aufsaugen und Spaß haben. Dann werden wir ein gutes Ergebnis holen“, ist sich Murphy sicher.
Ausschlaggebend könnten wie so oft Powerplay und Penalty Killing werden. Augsburg ist mit einer Quote von über 30 Prozent in Überzahl brandgefährlich, dafür bei eigener Unterzahl (68,42 Prozent) zu überwinden. Entscheidend hierbei sind oft Bullygewinne. Hier gehören beide Teams zu den Top-Fünf der Liga.
Spieltagsinfos
Zum letzten Wiesn-Heimspiel werden unsere Jungs noch einmal in den eigens designten Wiesn-Jerseys auflaufen.
Zudem wird der österreichische Trompeter Manuel „Lanä“ Lanschützer das Musikprogramm im SAP Garden LIVE unterstützen und während der Partie die Stimmung anheizen. In der 2. Drittelpause performt er zudem auf dem Eis seinen eigenen Après-Ski-Hit „Hey Amore“. Außerdem geht die Blinden-Reportage in die nächste Runde - alle Infos zur Audiodeskription gibt es hier.
Mit Video
Victory in the Top Match! Red Bulls Pick Up Three Points in Cologne// GAMEDAY
Mit Video
Audio Description at the Red Bulls: Report on Accessibility for the Blind Enters the Next Phase// FANS
Mit Galerie
Red Bulls Make Their Traditional Visit to the Wiesn// STORIES