The Rosenheim Starbulls missed a great opportunity. Against the Kassel Huskies, Rosenheim suffered a close defeat, overshadowed by a scandal at the end of the match. OVB editor Thomas Neumeier summarizes the events.
Kassel – It was good, but not enough: The Rosenheim Starbulls hockey players suffered a 1:3 defeat against the championship leaders in Kassel in DEL2. Coach Jari Pasanen’s men showed a decent performance against Nordhessen, but in the end, they lacked that little extra to bring something home. “We held our position well for over 60 minutes, but in the end we just couldn’t score,” Starbulls striker Stefan Reiter said after the match, which ended by an unpleasant climax when Kassel goalkeeper Brandon Maxwell injured Rosenheim striker Lukas Laub with a punch.
The story of the match: The intensity of the match was evident from the first minute: Kassel’s Jake Weidner had a clear shot opportunity on the Rosenheim goal, but was crucially disturbed by Simon Gnyps. In return, Stefan Reiter found himself alone in front of the Kassel goal, but was stopped at the last second. This fast-paced encounter reached its first high point in the fifth minute when Darren Mieszkowski joined a scrum behind the Rosenheim goal between Max Vollmayer and Dominic Turgeon, spun with the puck and scored with a wrist shot from the right circle, giving the Huskies the advantage. The home team had the better chances in the first period, including a shot off the post from Turgeon, but the Starbulls held on.
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During the second period, the Starbulls improved their game, creating their own chances. Ville Järveläinen went for goal twice, but both his attempts were saved by Maxwell, as was a shot from Lukas Laub which was also blocked by the Huskies goalkeeper. Meanwhile, the Nordhessen had their own chances, the best being a block where three Huskies skaters faced Oskar Autio, but Tristan Keck shot wide of the goal.
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The final third wasn’t as lively until the Starbulls pulled their goalie with 214 seconds remaining. Kassel then secured a third goal from Maximilian Faber before the Rosenheim team managed to score a consolation goal during a power play: Charlie Sarault shot, possibly with a deflection of Manuel Strodel’s stick.
The key moment: Ville Järveläinen’s golden chance in the 22nd minute could have equalized the score. With an open goal in front of him, Järveläinen’s direct shot was misplaced, allowing Maxwell to make the save.
What works: Rosenheim is in excellent physical condition. Starbulls can compete with any opponent.
What is worrying: The Hauner shock persists! Without their injured striker, the Starbulls only managed to score three goals in two matches against Selb (who have not won in ten matches) and Kassel (eight goals conceded in the last two matches). Ville Järveläinen, who replaced Hauner, missed several good chances, proving that he is not a suitable replacement!
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Player of the match: It was indeed Kassel goalkeeper Brandon Maxwell who blocked many of Rosenheim’s good chances and almost achieved a shutout.
And on top of that, there was: Maxwell’s outburst during the post-match handshake. The Kassel goalkeeper pulled Lukas Laub to the ground and hit him. The Rosenheim striker came off the ice bleeding. “Maxwell was the best player – right down to the handshake,” Starbulls coach Pasanen said. He added: “He hit Laub right in the face, blood everywhere. This is unacceptable. I hope the officials will look at this closely and act accordingly,” the Rosenheim official said.
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What the coaches say: Todd Woodcroft, Kassel: “Rosenheim is one of the fastest teams in DEL2. We had a good performance from our goalie and excellent penalty kill play. It got worse at the I’m looking forward to the next match against Rosenheim; it’s going to be exciting again.”
Jari Pasanen, Starbulls: “The first third was one of the best I have seen from Kassel. They deserved the victory. I am also happy with my team. I would have liked to have had the first goal. We should have scored a second; Ville Järveläinen had two good chances.”
Statistics of the match: Kassel Huskies – Starbulls Rosenheim 3:1 (1:0, 1:0, 1:1). Starbulls: Autio (Rose) – Hanna, Dybowski; Vollmayer, Gnyp; Zerressen, Tiffels – Laub, Stretch, Järveläinen; Strodel, Sarault, rider; Nirschl, Ewanyk, Kolb; Zwickl, Kuqi, glove.
Buts : 1:0 (5th) Mieszkowski/Turgeon, 2:0 (31st) Detsch/Müller, 3:0 (59th) Faber/Thiel, Weidner – ENG, 3:1 (60th) Sarault/Reiter, Strodel – PP1.
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Referees: Ratz/Engelmann; Penalty minutes: Kassel 12 plus 10 minutes of misconduct for Bodnarchuk, plus match penalty for Coach Woodcroft, plus match penalty for Maxwell, Rosenheim 4; Attendance: 4,356.
Next game: The Starbulls will be back on the ice at home next Friday, facing ESV Kaufbeuren at 7:30 p.m.
