Mannheim, Germany - updated Lonny Bohonos scored the game-winner as the Mannheim Adler defeated the visiting DEG Metro Stars after a see-saw game in the DEL 2005 season-opening game Thursday night. Mannheim squandered a late two-goal lead, but Bohonos scored the only in the penalty shootout to give the Adler a 6-5 (2-1,1-2, 2-2, 1-0) win in front of a sellout crowd of 11,500 at the new Adler homestead SAP Arena.

Mannheim got off to a great start into the game when Michael Bakos and Jeff Shantz took advantage of Düsseldorf's defensive chaos and scored early in the first. The Metro Stars got on the board when Tore Vikingstad beat newly signed Adler goalie Frederic Chabot with a shot from the slot two minutes before the first intermission. A goal by Daniel Kreutzer midway through the second tied the game at 2-2. Lonny Bohonos put Mannheim back ahead, 3-2, with under four minutes left in the second. But Andrew Schneider tied it again with a high shot from the left faceoff circle just over a minute. Dbefore the second intermission.

Düsseldorf's fate seemed to be sealed when goals from Devin Edgerton and 18-year-old Stefan Langwieder put Mannheim up by two with six minutes left in the contest. But Düsseldorf didn't surrender and Kreutzer's second goal of the night started a late rally. In the final minute, DEG Coach Don Jackson pulled starting goalie Alexander Jung for an extra attacker. A hard slap shot by Alexander Sulzer rang off the post, but with only seven seconds left, Mike Pellegrims found the back of the net to knot the game at 5 apiece.

Lonny Bohonos scored the only goal of the ensuing penalty shootout to give Mannheim a 6-5 win.