Munich, Germany - Barons top scorer Derek Plante scored a pair of goals, including a short-hander, as Munich cruised to an easy 4-0 road win at Schwenningen. Mike Kennedy and Simon Wheeldon also scored as netminder Boris Rousson registered his fourth shutout of the season.

"We converted two of our first three shots on goal," Barons sports director said. "Thereafter, we controlled the game at ease."

Munich moves into third place

Plante's two goals increased his season total to nine (seven assists). The victory extended Munich's current win streak to three straight. The Barons have won five of their last six.

Munich's regional rival, the Nuremberg Ice Tigers climbed to the top of the DEL table (45 points, 21 games) as Cologne got surprised at home by Krefeld. The Haie slipped to second (45/24) while the Barons moved into third place (41/20). The Augsburg Panthers (40/21), Krefeld Pinguine (40/20) and defending champion Mannheim Adler (40/22) all trail Munich by a point.

Winger Waibel released

30-year-old forward Harry Waibel, who was brought in when the Barons were troubled by injuries early in the season, made his last appearance for the Barons. Waibel, who had also played for Munich's defunct DEL franchise Mad Dogs in 1994, was in the line-up for 13 games and finished with one assist. Although the club was content with his performances, they did not feel any need to re-sign him. There's no more lack of depth after Jörg Handrick's return from injury and now that Andy Schneider has returned to his natural forward position.

The league is heading into a ten-day break because of the "Deutschland Cup", an invitational four-team tournament featuring national teams from Canada, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany.

Schwenninger Wild Wings - München Barons 0-4 (0-2, 0-1, 0-1)
Scoring: 0-1 (2:31) Derek Plante (Peter Douris, Boris Rousson - 4:5), 0-2 (6:34) Mike Kennedy (Kent Fearns, Christoph Schubert - 5:4), 0:3 (28-57) Derek Plante (Derek King, Patrick Köppchen - 4:4), 0-4 (44:00) Simon Wheeldon (Johan Rosén, Hans Lodin).
Penalties: Schwenningen 14, Munich 14 plus 10 misconduct (Christoph Schubert)
Attendance: 3,200