2002–03 DEL season

2002–03 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season
LeagueDeutsche Eishockey Liga
SportIce hockey
Number of teams14
2002-03
Season championsKrefeld Pinguine
DEL seasons

The 2002–03 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 9th season since the founding of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (German Ice Hockey League). The Krefeld Pinguine became German Champions. The Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings lost their license due to insolvency proceedings and the Frankfurt Lions were granted a stay in the league.

Regular season

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The eight best-placed teams in the regular season would enter playoffs, while the last two teams would have to fight relegation in a playdown series.

Team GP W SOW SOL L GF:GA Points
1. Eisbären Berlin 52 30 5 9 8 188:134 109
2. Kölner Haie 52 26 4 15 7 151:117 101
3. DEG Metro Stars 52 24 10 4 14 151:117 96
4. Adler Mannheim 52 25 8 3 16 152:129 94
5. Nürnberg Ice Tigers 52 23 7 6 16 133:127 89
6. Krefeld Pinguine 52 20 8 2 22 147:133 78
7. Kassel Huskies 52 19 7 7 19 118:127 78
8. Hamburg Freezers 52 17 10 6 19 154:152 77
9. Iserlohn Roosters 52 17 8 8 19 142:132 75
10. Hannover Scorpions 52 18 5 5 24 142:150 69
11. Augsburger Panther 52 16 6 6 24 127:146 66
12. ERC Ingolstadt 52 16 5 7 24 122:135 65
13. Frankfurt Lions 52 14 6 6 26 133:171 60
14. Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings 52 4 6 11 31 99:184 35
GP = Games played, W = Win, SOW = Shootout win, SOL = Shootout loss, L = Loss
   = Qualified for playoffs    = Season ended    = Relegation playdown

Playdown

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The two last-placed teams, the Frankfurt Lions and Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings played a playdown best-of-seven series against relegation.

Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Frankfurt Lions Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings 2:4 3:6 1:2 6:4 4:3 4:7 2:3

Despite the Lions having a 25-point advantage in the regular season, the Wild Wings won the playdown series. However, as insolvency proceedings against the Wild Wings opened, the DEL canceled their license and the Lions were allowed to stay in the league.

Playoffs

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Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
1 Eisbären Berlin 4
8 Hamburg Freezers 1
1 Eisbären Berlin 1
6 Krefeld Pinguine 3
3 DEG Metro Stars 1
6 Krefeld Pinguine 4
2 Kölner Haie 2
6 Krefeld Pinguine 3
2 Kölner Haie 4
7 Kassel Huskies 3
2 Kölner Haie 3
4 Adler Mannheim 0
4 Adler Mannheim 4
5 Nürnberg Ice Tigers 1

Quarterfinals

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Starting March 12, 2003, the quarterfinals were played in a best-of-seven series.

Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Eisbären Berlin Hamburg Freezers 4:1 5:2 5:6 SO 3:2 2:1 4:0
Kölner Haie Kassel Huskies 4:3 1:3 3:1 2:1 4:5 4:1 2:3 5:1
DEG Metro Stars Krefeld Pinguine 1:4 1:2 5:6 OT 1:0 2:5 1:4
Adler Mannheim Nürnberg Ice Tigers 4:1 5:4 1:6 5:1 4:2 3:0
OT = Overtime; SO = Shootout

Semifinals

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On March 28, 2003, the quarterfinals best-of-five series opened.

Game 1 2 3 4 5
Eisbären Berlin Krefeld Pinguine 1:3 4:1 2:4 0:1 1:4
Kölner Haie Adler Mannheim 3:0 3:2 5:3 4:3 OT
OT = Overtime; SO = Shootout

The big surprise was the loss of Eisbären Berlin (Berlin Polar Bears) to the Krefeld Pinguine (Krefeld Penguins). The Eisbären were considered a strong favorite as they finished the regular season with 109 points vs. the Penguins 78.

Finals

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The final series started April 11, 2003 with a homegame for the Kölner Haie who were the higher placed team after the regular season.

Game 1 2 3 4 5
Kölner Haie Krefeld Pinguine 2:3 2:5 2:3 3:2 3:2 OT 1:3
OT = Overtime; SO = Shootout

With this, the Krefeld Pinguine won the German title for the second time in their history. They almost accomplished this feat with a playoff sweep; this was somewhat unexpected, as their regular season record was not indicative of the playoff performance.

Top players

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Category Name Team Record
Most points United States Mark Beaufait Eisbären Berlin 54 Points
Most goals Austria Christoph Brandner Krefeld Pinguine 28 Goals
Most assists Canada Brad Purdie Krefeld Pinguine 41 Assists
Best goali Canada Frédéric Chabot Nürnberg Ice Tigers 0.945
Best defender Canada Jeff Tory Hamburg Freezers 46 Points

References

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