Munich, Germany - The third-place Kölner Haie obviously picked the right moment to end their seven-game shootout jinx. Forward Andreas Morczinietz not only tallied the late equalizer but also came up with the game-winning conversion against the first-place Berlin-Eisbären in a packed KölnArena Friday night. Elsewhere, the second-place Mannheim Adler had the opportunity to close the gap to Berlin with a road win.

However Mannheim got shut out in Hamburg. Behind great goaltending from Boris Rousson, the Hamburg Freezers skated to a 2-0 (0-0, 1-0, 1-0) victory over the Adler. Mannheim started out strong but failed to capitalize on its opportunities. A shot from Marcel Goc rang off the woodwork early on, Steve Junker got robbed by Rousson on the doorstep in the middle frame. Hamburg took the lead with only two ticks left in the second period when former Adler Mike Stevens deflected a point shot past netminder Mike Rosati. Mannheim continued to dominate the game, outshooting Hamburg 15-7 in the final period, but Rousson denied them again and again. On the other end of the ice, Jesse Belanger doubled the lead to 2-0 on the powerplay, scoring on a wrister from the left slot 3:28 into the final period. With an extra skater on the ice, the Adler even failed to score on a 70-second 6-on-3 powerplay opportunity late in the game. “It was a close, playoff type of game,“ Freezers head coach Sean Simpson said. “Both goalies were outstanding tonight. We played our best game of the season.“

In Cologne, the Kölner Haie finally put an end to their shootout-jinx. After seven straight shootout losses, Andreas Morczinietz converted the winning attempt to lift the Haie to a 5-4 (1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 1-0) win after penalty shootout over the first-place Berlin Eisbären. It was also Morczinietz who had forced the game into the extra session, tying the score at 4-4 with just over five minutes to go in regulation. The score was even at 1-1 after 20 minutes after powerplay tallies from Berlin’s John Emmons and Cologne’s Robert Hock. Dave McLlwain scored on the man advantage to put the Haie up 2-1 midway through the second, but the Eisbären turned the momentum on back-to-back goals from Mark Beaufait, who scored on a 5-on-3 powerplay, and Boris Blank. Haie defenseman Brad Schlegel tied the game at 3-3 midway through the final frame, but David Roberts re-claimed the lead for Berlin less than two minutes later before Morczinietz sent the tilt to OT.

Iserlohn still alive, Augsburg has to bury playoff hopes

The fourth-place Düsseldorfer EG Metro Stars failed to cash in on Mannheim’s loss, losing 3-2 (0-0, 1-2, 1-0, 1-0) after penalty shootout on the road to the Frankfurt Lions. The DEG had a 2-1 lead midway through the game after tallies from Daniel Kreutzer and Trond Magnussen, but could not put the game away. Stewart Malgunas and Robert Busch scored for the Lions, Greg Adams notched the game-winning attempt in the shootout.

Behind great goaltending from Jimmy Waite, who recorded his second straight shutout and fourth overall, the Iserlohn Roosters kept their playoff hopes alive. Jeff Dessner scored the only goal of the night with 6:29 to go in the third period as Iserlohn blanked ERC Ingolstadt on the road, 1-0 (0-0, 0-0, 1-0).

Meanwhile, the Augsburger Panther likely have to bury their playoff ambitions after being shut out by the Krefeld Pinguine at home. Christoph Brandner scored the lucky game-winner with just five ticks left in the game. Like Waite, Pinguine goalie Robert Müller recorded back-to-back shutouts and now leads the league with five.

In Nuremberg, Vitalij Aab scored a hat trick and added an assist as the fifth-place Nürnberg Ice Tigers downed the last-place Schwenningen Wild Wings 5-2 (1-1, 2-1, 2-0). Elsewhere, Alexander Serikow scored with less than six minutes to go to lift the Kassel Huskies to a 3-2 (2-1, 0-0, 1-1) win over the Hannover Scorpions.