Eisbären Berlin are clearly defeated by Lukko Rauma: 2:6 in the home game!

Eisbären Berlin are clearly defeated by Lukko Rauma: 2:6 in the home game!

On September 5, 2025, the Polar Bears Berlin in their first home game of the Champions Hockey League (CHL) against Finnish team Lukko Rauma. The encounter ended with a clear defeat for the Eisbären, who lost 2:6 in front of 4,227 spectators in the sold-out Wellblechpalast.

Lukko Rauma dominated the early stages of the game. Steven Jandric opened the scoring in the 5th minute, followed by another goal from Eric Gélinas in the 13th minute, which meant that the Eisbären quickly had to go behind. It was Ty Ronning who scored with a power-play goal 41 seconds before the first break and reduced the score to 1:2.

Poor performance in the middle third

The Finns' dominance continued in the second third. Antoine Morand scored in the 22nd minute to make it 3-1, while Alex Beaucage was able to increase the score to 4-1 on a power play in the 25th minute. Anton Olsson made it 5-1 in the 34th minute, which ultimately led to the substitution of goalkeeper Jonas Stettmer, who was replaced by Jake Hildebrand.

At the beginning of the final period, the Finns pulled away to 6-1 through Jakob Stenqvist in the 41st minute. Although the Eisbären did not lose heart and scored the second goal through Andreas Eder in the 44th minute, the deficit was already too big and the defeat was sealed.

Analysis and outlook

The defeat was seen by many as deserved, as the Polar Bears were barely able to withstand the pressure from the Finnish team in most phases of the game. Coach Serge Aubin had made some changes to the line-up for the game in order to achieve more stability. So Stettmer started in goal and the defense was reorganized. Liam Kirk and Eric Hördler also swapped ranks up front. Despite an improved performance in the first third, the Eisbären were unable to avert a false start in the main rounds of the European Ice Hockey Cup, as this was the team's second defeat in the third game.

The Eisbären now plan to analyze the game in detail to prepare for the next CHL game against Grenoble. The coming games will be crucial to get the season back on track and improve the flow of the game.

The Eisbären Berlin, who play in the Mercedes-Benz Arena and whose capacity is 14,200 spectators, have been under the management of coach since 2019 Serge Aubin. The team enjoys a loyal following and has a long history with numerous championship titles in German ice hockey.