Sparkasse Weißenfels is still the only club with the perfect score, while runner-up Chemnitz falls behind a bit. Here’s Kimmo’s update after the German Bundesliga round 8!

“First advent in Bundesleague was busy busy busy… With all the teams in action over the weekend here’s an overview of the weekend’s results

ETV Piranhhas Hamburg – TV Schriesheim 5:6 (ot)

The battle of the mid-table was never going to be an easy thing for either of the teams. Before the weekend both teams were fighting for a place in the sun and the top-6 for playoffs naturally.

The 178 spectators were not left cold as the guests took off to 3 goal lead by the end of the second, only to see the hosts fight back and with just 2 minutes to go, even take a lead. With only 10seconds to play it was Nicolas Burmeister that managed to score and force an overtime.

It was only 1.21 into the overtime as the guests broke the deadlock and scored to grab the 2points for an overtime win leaving the hosts certainly feeling robbed.

SSF Dragons Bonn – VfL Red Hocks Kaufering 10:6

It was only a week earlier as these two met in the cup competition. At that time it was Kaufering that got the better of it by advancing to the next round leaving Bonn stranded. Now it was Bonn certainly set out to seek revenge and the 140 spectators were not left disappointed.

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Bonn basically marched through Kaufering by taking a commanding 4-0 lead already by the end of the first period and was really never planning to give it up. The own goal by Bonn and pair of goals by Maximilian Falkenberg for Kaufering really did nothing but “beautify” the numbers a little. Bonn with the points and firm grasp on the play-off positions whereas Kaufering still looking for their first win.

UHC Sparkasse Weißenfels – Berlin Rockets 12:4

Can anyone stop Weißenfels? Please? Berlin has been slipping in the tables and is now in the 9th position, far from the playoff positions they were certainly hoping for. In order to right your ship….or rocket if you may, traveling to challenge the team that has not lost a game in the season, might be a problem. And it was… Berlin did take a lead early on in the game, but it took only good 12 minutes for Weißenfels to get their motor running….and just took off and never looked back. Clear and decisive win for the hosts.

Red Devils Wernigerode – MFBC Leipzig 7:15

The current champions MFBC Leipzig left little doubt they are keen to stake their claim on the title again this year despite slipping behind Weißenfels and Chemnitz on the tables. The 211 strong audience in Wernigerode could not really help but to watch Leipzig steam-roll their way through to a decisive victory.

The problems for Wernigerode just seem to be piling up as the team had to do without 2 of their Finnish imports as well….again.

DJK Holzbüttgen – Floor Fighters Chemnitz 12:6

Last but not least, a game where I was actually present myself as well. Not that anyone came to claim the free drink…hmmm. Anyway…

This game was always going to be interesting as it was between two teams that have really re-invented themselves since last year. As Chemnitz was still playing last year for their survival in the play-downs, also DJK had had some major changes since last year.

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Both of the teams seem to play a very similar style of game concentrating on a lot of pressing always ready to counter. This time it just seemed to work better for the home team. I dare to say that the first period was the best floorball from DJK I have ever seen. Whereas Chemnitz with their young squad was eager to press, it was DJK that was able to use this to their advantage and capitalize on small mistakes, winning their duels and finish with brutal efficiency. The period ended with DJK up by 3.

The second period was then much more tightly contested as Chemnitz was determined to not let the game slip away. Whether it was too much of a good thing for DJK and they started to lose focus allowing or Chemnitz force more errors, or Chemnitz forcing DJK out of their concept more…the one thing that did not suffer was the efficiency of the hosts. They took the period again and the teams headed to the locker rooms with 7-2 for the home team.

The third period saw even more goals as Chemnitz upped the pressure. This however allowed the DJK to use the opened up field effectively again and the experience showed as they slowly but surely marched on an impressive 12-6 home win of their opponents.

Floor Fighters Chemnitz

I actually had a nice quick chat with the Chemnitz Trainer Sascha Franz after the game. We discussed a number of things amongst others what had happened since last year. The Chemnitz team has been the previous years fighting for their survival and now suddenly they are right up there with the best. The team itself has gone through a number of changes and the squad itself has become much younger. This naturally means that a lot of experience has left, but they seem to have struck a night balance. All of this with nice recruited foreign young talent that seem to fit well has somehow struck a chord.

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Chemnitz is one of the all too few Clubs in Germany that can lay claim on successful junior-programs as well having teams present in all age-groups. This supply of home-grown talent makes success like this possible. So while the success of the team has come as a surprise for some, perhaps it is not so much of a surprise but a reward for a job well done.

Ranking

Top scorers

Upcoming Games

As you can see, there are some cool games coming up again:

Leipzig – Bonn should be interesting as Leipzig is certainly keen on catching up with Chemnitz whereas Bonn certainly does not want to let the play-off spot slip away.

Berlin – Wernigerode. What can I say… neither can afford a loss here really if they want to steer away from the play-down -part of the table. Both at 7 points sharing would like nothing better than getting those 3p and joining the mid-table -group.

“How about getting your friends and family tickets to a game?”

Schriesheim – Holzbüttgen. Schriesheim has certainly had a boost over their overtime winner against Hamburg whereas Holzbüttgen are certainly keen to extend their current form with a third consecutive win and put some distance between them and Hamburg and Schriesheim alike.

Weißenfels – Chemnitz. This is probably the match to see. The young and hungry Chemnitz traveling to tour-de-force Weißenfels. Chemnitz certainly does have the tools to be the first to topple the Weißenfels machine… will they have the gusto to deal with the experience of the hosts?

Kaufering – Hamburg. Is it too late for Kaufering? These are the matches they need to start winning to have any hope of avoiding playdowns, but even then, it is an uphill battle. Hamburg, however, can not afford to slip up as Bonn and Schriesheim are breathing down their necks ready to bounce on any slip-up.

So, all in all, a very interesting round – again – and it is not even over yet. We still have 2 more rounds of the league as well as the next cup-round…all before Xmas. How fun is that.

is it just me, or have I seen a small uptick in the number of people coming to the games as well? If so, I am ready to take all the credit! 😉 Tip! How about getting your friends and family tickets to a game? A season-ticket per chance?

Cheers,

Kimmo”

Kimmo Vallema blogs about his floorball experiences in Germany. Want to know more about him? Click here to read his introduction article.