In the playoffs, things can get tough, but it doesn’t have to be too tough and unfair. In the 46th minute of the game between the Eisbären and the Straubing Tigers (2:1), defender Marcel Brandt (33) checked young Berlin defender Moritz Kretzschmar (19) very hard, delivering a full-speed hit from about one meter away into the boards. Craig Woodcroft, coach of the Niederbayern team, said at the press conference after the game: “I didn’t see the situation from the bench and will watch the scene on video. We want to play hard, but not dirty.”
Distance to the boards very close during the foul
Berlin forward Lean Bergmann commented on the foul: “It is one of the most dangerous situations in ice hockey.”
Brandt is not new to brutal fouls. In November 2025, he was suspended for one game by the league’s disciplinary committee due to a crosscheck in a game against Bremerhaven. The committee’s rationale included: “The contact occurred in close and dangerous proximity to the boards.” In the current Berlin case, the distance to the boards was also very close.
Berlin’s sports director Stephane Richer stated: “The league will review the foul again.” Will Brandt be allowed to play in Game 3 on Sunday? By the way, it’s still not clear if the fouled Eisbären player Moritz Kretzschmar was injured.
