ROB ZEPP (72) built a wall in front of Eisbaeren Berlin's net in the opening game of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga quarterfinal series with the Augsburg Panthers. (eisbaeren.de photo)

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A little R and R combined with some serious Z benefited EISBAEREN BERLIN a great deal as head coach DON JACKSON’s German club completed its first step towards a fifth domestic championship the past six years.

A pair of first period goals from German Olympic forward ANDRE RANKEL and veteran American Auslaender ANDY ROACH inside the opening nine and a half minutes as well as goaltender ROB ZEPP provided all the Polar Bears needed to dispatch the Augsburg Panthers 2-1 in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga quarterfinal opener.

The 24-year-old Rankel got Eisbaeren off to the right start by redirecting former Calgary Flames defenseman RICHIE REGEHR’s slapshot past Augsburg’s German international goaltender DENNIS ENDRAS in the game’s fifth minute. The Polar Bears were enjoying the power play after Panthers forward TYLER BEECHEY, a one-time Trenton Titan in the East Coast Hockey League, had been boxed for hooking. Rankel, now in his seventh season with Eisbaeren Berlin, scored a career high 25 goals from 54 games in the DEL this term. 

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Erstwhile Washington Capital forward STEFAN USTORF (14) sees the puck that German Olympian ANDRE RANKEL (24) has redirected bulge the back of the net for Eisbaeren Berlin’s first goal against Augsburg in the DEL quarterfinal opener. (DPA/tagesspiegel.de)

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Rankel then assisted as Roach, the former Ferris State University rearguard, rifled a shot home from the blueline to extend the Eisbaeren lead with 9:23 elapsed in the match.

Roach, playing his third season for the Polar Bears, also has spent four seasons with Adler Mannheim in addition to a year skating for the Krefeld Pinguine in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The 36-year-old had returned to Germany and signed for Berlin in the summer of 2006 after a season split between the St. Louis Blues and it’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, as well as SC Zurich of Switzerland’s Nationalliga A.

Augsburg did answer five minutes plus two seconds later. DARIN OLVER, a New York Rangers’ 2nd round pick who signed to play in Germany after completing his studies at Northern Michigan University, lit the lamp following vorarbeit (before work) from BRETT ENGELHARDT and COLIN MURPHY, former teammates at Michigan Tech University.

The near-capacity crowd of 14,000 at the 02 World Arena in Berlin saw no more goals from the remainder of the match, however.

The Germans’ third-string goaltender at the Vancouver Games, Endras, enjoyed an outstanding evening despite defeat and ended with 36 saves for the Augsburg Panthers. But, the native Canadian and by-now-naturalized German at the other end for Eisbaeren was even better. Zepp, a four-year veteran of the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, blocked 34 of 35 Augsburg’s attempts-on-goal.

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ANDRE RANKEL butts heads with Eisbaeren Berlin's heroic goaltender, ROB ZEPP, at the conclusion of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga quarterfinal match versus Augsburg Panthers at the O2 World Arena. In the foreground is Eisbaeren's retiring veteran, DENIS PEDERSON (20), who has bagged four German championships in Berlin. (Bild.de photo)

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SC Bern goaltender MARCO BUEHRER (39) watches the puck sail over the top of the net at the PostFinance Arena in the semifinals of Switzlerland’s Nationalliga A playoffs. (Keystone photo)

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SC Bern head coach LARRY HURAS, prior to his club’s playoff series with EHC KLOTEN, had stated publically, ”The long rest from competition could be a disadvantage.”

However, regular season champion SC BERN, coming off a quarterfinal sweep of HC Lugano and seeking their first Swiss league title since 2004, has moved quickly to establish a two games to none lead in the Nationalliga A playoff semifinal series with EHC KLOTEN.

A crowd of 16,771 piled into POSTFINANCE ARENA in Switzerland’s capital city for the semifinal series opener. SC Bern, as has been the case for the past nine years now, led all of European professional hockey in average per game attendance again. The home folk would not find disappointment.

In the tenth minute, SC Bern got a lucky break when the puck bounced onto the stick of former NHL forward LEE GOREN with a wide-open net staring the one-time University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux in the face. Goren, who scored no goals in nine regular season games for SC Bern this term, took the chance for his fourth goal in five playoff games.

SC Bern forward LEE GOREN (37) prepares to capitalize on the gift opportunity much to the chagrin of EHC Kloten's Swiss Olympic goalie RONNIE RUEGER (66), who can see what's coming in the Nationalliga A semifinal opener. (Keystone photo)

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Goren, who scored five goals in 67 National Hockey League games for the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks collectively, managed just six goals in 37 regular season league games this campaign for Tappara Tampere, BK Farjestad Karlstad and SC Bern. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone)   

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SC Bern again found good fortune exactly halfway through what was a close-checking, defensive struggle. A lapse by EHC Kloten’s 21-year-old defenseman, YVES MUELLER, at his own blue line allowed a pair of SC Bern veterans to multiply the Flyers’ miseries. One-time Tampa Bay Lighting and Swiss international forward THOMAS ZIEGLER set up long-time legionnaire CHRISTIAN DUBE for a second SC Bern goal and the former New York Ranger’s first of this playoff season.

Both Dube, 32, and Ziegler, 31, missed major portions of this 2009-10 Swiss Nationalliga A schedule as a result of injury. Collectively, the pair skated just 15 of SC Bern’s 50 league contests this term. But fitness manifests itself in the nick of time — Dube now totals four points from as many playoff games while Ziegler has orchestrated four assists in six post-season outings.

Meanwhile, EHC Kloten had no such luck. A minute after Dube’s goal, Finland’s former Vancouver Canucks center TOMMI SANTALA sent a shot off the goalpost. Dube, himself, would actually catch iron for SC Bern in the 53rd minute.

With two minutes remaining in the match, Kloten’s Romanian-born VICTOR STANCESCU did score to bring Swedish coach ANDERS ELDEBRINK’s side within one, but Swiss international goalie MARCO BUEHRER and the SC Bern defense would not be breached a second time.

“For me, here are the two best teams in the league at work,” said the Chicago Black Hawks’ former Finnish head coach, ALPO SUHONEN, following the semifinal opener. “I bet that the winner of this series will also be champion.”

(Suhonen, Finland’s national team boss for four seasons in the mid-1980s who also served as an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs, is at present serving as Sportchef — Sports Manager — for EHC Kloten) 

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SC Bern "Topskorer" and Swiss Olympian IVO RUETHEMANN (yellow helmet) joins fellow Vancouver Games participant PHILLIPPE FURRER (29) in congratulating goaltender MARCO BUEHRER on a fifth consecutive playoff victory. (Keystone photo)

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Semifinal Game One — SC Bern 2 – EHC Kloten 1

SC BERN

• Goalie : Buehrer 
• Defense : Roche, Furrer — Gerber, Josi — Stettler, Haenni — D. Meier
• Attack : Vigier, McLean, Reichert — Goren, Pluess, Ruethemann — Neuenschwander – Froidevaux, Berger — Ziegler, Dube, Scherwey — T.Meier

EHC KLOTEN

• Goalie : Rueger
• Defense : Winkler, Forrest — DuBois, Sidler — Schulthess, von Gunten — Mueller
• Attack : Wick, Santala, Rintanen — Jenni, Liniger, Bell — Lindemann, Bodenmann, Hollenstein — Stancescu, Kellenberger, Rothen

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SC Bern forward PASCAL BERGER (89) attacks the EHC Kloten goal manned by RONNIE RUEGER (66) as defenseman PATRICK VON GUNTEN (28) defends in the second game of the Swiss Nationalliga A semifinal playoff series. (Keystone photo)

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In the second game of the semifinal tie, Swiss Olympian and Ottawa Senators fifth round NHL draft selection ROMAN WICK set the Flyers off to a fast start at the KOLPING ARENA in Kloten with a goal six minutes in.

However, PASCAL BERGER brought SC Bern level with three minutes left in the opening period. Swiss Olympian MARTIN PLUESS scored very shortly thereafter to put the away side ahead before the first period was even complete. And that was about all for home-standing EHC Kloten.

The 21-year-old Berger, who scored seven goals in 49 regular season games, added another five minutes after the first intermission to double SC Bern’s margin.

Canadian legionnaire SIMON GAMACHE, only playing hockey as a result of countryman JEAN-PIERRE VIGIER’s ill-health, soon stamped his authority on the game with goals in the 29th and 37th minutes to give SC Bern a commanding 5-1 lead.

Gamache’s first goal chased Switzerland’s 37-year-old Olympic goaltender RONNIE RUEGER from the game; 26-year-old MICHAEL FLUECKIGER took Rueger’s place between the pipes for Kloten.

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SC Bern forward SIMON GAMACHE fires the puck at EHC Kloten goalkeeper RONNIE RUEGER in the Swiss Nationalliga A semifinal at the Kolping Arena. Gamache has spent much of the New Year in the stands as the Swiss league imposes a limit on how many foreign players a club can ice in any given match. The 29-year-old native of Quebec dropped from 19 goals, 54 points from 48 games in 2008-09 to nine goals, 22 points from 30 games this season for SC Bern. (Keystone photo)

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After aging Finnish international KIMMO RINTANEN cut Kloten’s deficit to three, Gamache completed his hat trick on his playoff debut this spring for SC Bern six minutes into the final period.

Cosmetic goals from Rintanen, a second of the match for the 36-year-old, and Swiss international defenseman FELICIEN DUBOIS in the 55th and 59th minutes, respectively, made the 4:6 scoreline look a little more reasonable for EHC Kloten. 

“Gamache plays Tuesday,” came the confirmation from SC Bern’s coach in the aftermath of a second victory in the Swiss semifinal.

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Semifinal Game Two — EHC Kloten 4 – SC Bern 6

EHC KLOTEN

• Goalie : Rueger (29th); Flueckiger
• Defense : Winkler, Forrest — Du Bois, Sidler — von Gunten, Schulthess
• Attack : Wick, Santala, Rintanen — Jenni, Liniger, Bell — Stancescu, Kellenberger, Rothen — Lindemann, Bodenmann, Hollenstein — Jacquemet, Zeiter

SC Bern

• Goalie : Buehrer
• Defense : Roche, Furrer — Gerber, Josi — Stettler, Haenni — D. Meier
• Attack : Neuenschwander, McLean, Reichert — Goren, Pluess, Ruethemann — Scherwey, Dube, Gamache — Ziegler, Froidevaux, Berger

KYLE KLUBERTANZ, a University of Wisconsin product now in his second season of professional hockey, dances on defense these days for IF Djurgarden Stockholm in Sweden's Elitserien. (difhockey.se photo)

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“Tanzen” is the German verb meaning “to dance”.

KYLE KLUBERTANZ is an American defenseman enjoying his first season in Sweden playing for the traditional elite league power, IF Djurgarden Stockholm.

IF Djurgarden Stockholm, who finished tied for second place with HC Linkoping in the Elitserien standings, have, like regular season leaders HV 71 Jonkoping, qualified for the semifinals of Sweden’s playoffs. IF Djurgarden Stockholm advanced by disposing of IF Brynas Galve four games to one.

Klubertanz, who arrived in the off-season from Finnish club TPS Turku, finished the regular league schedule tied for third in scoring on IF Djurgarden with 31 points. The 24-year-old, who played all 55 Elitserien contests this year, also led the defensemen for the Stockholm club in both goals (12) and points. The defenseman added one goal and two points for IF Djurgarden in the opening round playoff victory over IF Brynas, as well. 

Klubertanz totaled five goals and 12 points from 51 games his rookie pro season in Finland’s elite league with TPS Turku.

Klubertanz, a four-year player at the University of Wisconsin, pocketed an NCAA championship as a sophomore in 2006. The defenseman was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the third round (# 74 overall) of the 2004 National Hockey League draft.

Klubertanz played six games (including one playoff appearance) for the Portland Pirates in the American Hockey League at the end of the 2007-08 campaign after completing his college career.

Reportedly, Klubertanz has signed a contract extension and will again skate with IF Djuragarden Stockholm next season in Sweden’s Elitserien.

Captain JOHAN DAVIDSSON (76) and HV 71 Jonkoping skated past IK Timra rather easily in the quarterfinals of the Swedish Elitserien playoffs.

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Just five games required by regular season league-leaders HV 71 Jonkoping to sweep aside IK Timra and move into the semifinals of the Swedish Elitserien playoffs.

Swedish international MARTIN THORNBERG, the top goal scorer for HV 71 this term with 20 regular season tallies, added three more goals for Jonkoping in the opening round versus Timra.

NHL veteran JOHAN DAVIDSSON, tied with Thornberg for second place on HV 71 with five playoff points, JOHAN LINDSTROM and defenseman DAVID PETRASEK each added a pair of goals for Jonkoping in the Timra tie, as well.

31-year-old Finnish defenseman PASI PUISTOLA paces HV 71 Jonkoping in playoff scoring with six points, all assists.

Olympic gold medalist STEFAN LIV, as could be expected, was ever-present in the HV 71 net.

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JOHAN LINDSTROM, a 30-year-old wing who joined HV 71 Jonkoping from IK Mora during the 2007-08 campaign, collected the series-winning-goal in Jonkoping's 4-2 victory over Timra last Friday. (Daniel Wengel/Hockeyligan.se)

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Former West German international defenseman HAROLD KREIS has been named as an assistant coach to the German national team for the 2010 IIHF World Championships to be staged in Koeln and Mannheim.

Kreis, a native of Winnipeg in western Canada, appeared at eight World Championships and two Winter Olympic Games and collectively skated 86 contests (5 goals, 28 points) for West Germany at those major international tournaments between 1979 and 1990. 

Kreis crossed the Atlantic to sign for ERC Mannheim of the West German Bundesliga in the summer of 1978 after a final season of junior hockey with the old Calgary Wranglers of the Western Canada Hockey League.

Kreis spent the next 19 seasons patroling the blueline in Mannheim.

Kreis, who will take over as head coach of Adler Mannheim next season, has spent the past two years in charge of EG Dusseldorf in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Previously, Kreis cut his teeth as a top man with EHC Chur in Switzerland’s second division and later worked with HC Lugano and SC Zurich in the Nationalliga A before moving to Dusseldorf. Kreis claimed the Swiss championship in 2006 with HC Lugano and again with SC Zurich in 2008.

Kreis joins ERNST HOEFNER as an assistant on head coach UWE KRUPP’s national team staff seeking to improve upon Germany’s disappointing showing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Host nation GERMANY and Olympic silver medalist the UNITED STATES will meet in the opening game of the 2010 IIHF World Championships in Gelsenkirchen on May 7.

Salavat Yulayev Ufa wing ALEXANDER RADULOV (47) currently leads the Kontinental Hockey League's Gargarin Cup playoff competition with 15 points from 10 games. Radulov, who left the Nashville Predators in the summer of 2008 to sign for Salavat Yulayev with a year still remaining on his NHL contract, led Ufa and finished fourth in the 24-team KHL with 63 points (24 goals) during the regular season.

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SALAVAT YULAYEV UFA — 2010 Gargarin Cup Roster

Coach — VYACHESLAV BYKOV – (Russia)

No fewer than 20 of Ufa’s current playing staff have appeared at a major international tournament on behalf of their respective countries. Bykov, himself, is at present the coach of the Russian national team. 

Seven skaters represented Salavat Yulayev — Kalinin, Kozlov, Radulov, Zinoviev for Russia; Koltsov for Belarus; Blatak for Czech Republic; Thoresen for Norway — at the Vancouver Olympic Games staged this past February.   

Goaltender

• # 20 — VITALI KOLESNIK – (30) — KAZAKHSTAN – (4 apps, 13 ga) — since 2009 from HK Atlant Mytischy
• # 30 — ALEXANDER YEREMENKO – (29) — RUSSIA – (4 apps, 11 ga) — since 2007 from Ak Bars Kazan

Defensemen

• #   4 — KIRILL KOLTSOV – (26) — RUSSIA – (1 app, 6 ga) — since 2007 from Avangard Omsk
• #   5 — MIKHAIL GRIGORIEV – (19) — Russia — since 2009 from Yuzhny Ural Orsk
• # 23 — MIROSLAV BLATAK – (27) — CZECH REP – (3 app, 12 ga) — since 2007 from IK Mora (Sweden)
• # 34 — VITALI PROSHKIN – (33) — RUSSIA – (6 app, 48 ga) — since 2007 from Ak Bars Kazan
• # 45 — ANDREI KUTEYKIN – (25) — Russia — since 2005 – youth
• # 63 — MAXIM KONDRATIEV – (27) — RUSSIA – (2 app, 11 ga) — since 2009 from CSKA Moscow
• # 70 — OLEG TVERDOVSKY – (33) — RUSSIA – (6 app, 31 ga) — since 2007 from Los Angeles Kings (NHL)
• # 77 — ILYA GOROKHOV – (32) — Russia — since 2009 from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
• # 79 — DMITRI KALININ – (29) — RUSSIA – (8 app, 56 ga) — since 2009 from Phoenix Coyotes (NHL)

Forwards

• #   7 — ANDREI SIDYAKIN – (30) — Russia — since 2003 from Severstal Cherepovets
• #   9 — ARTEM GORDEYEV – (21) — Russia — since 2007 from youth
• # 11 — VLADIMIR VOROBIEV – (37) — RUSSIA – (2 app, 14 ga) — since 2007 from Ak Bars Kazan
• # 17 — RUSLAN NURTDINOV – (29) — Russia — since 2007 from Metallurg Magnitogorsk
• # 22 — ANDREI TARATUKHIN – (27) — RUSSIA – (1 app, 5 ga) — since 2007 from Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (AHL)
• # 24 — PETR SCHASTLIVY – (30) — RUSSIA – (1 app, 8 ga) — since 2010 from CSKA Moscow
• # 27 — IGOR GRIGORENKO – (26) — RUSSIA – (2 app, 14 ga) — since 2007 from Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)
• # 28 — KONSTANTIN KOLTSOV – (28) — BELARUS – (8 app, 35 ga) — since 2006 from Pittsburgh Penquins (NHL)
• # 33 — MIKA HANNULA – (30) — SWEDEN – (3 app, 25 ga) — since 2010 from IF Djurgarden Stockholm (Swe)
• # 35 — VLADIMIR ANTIPOV – (32) — RUSSIA – (4 app, 29 ga) — since 2006 from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
• # 37 — ALEXANDER PEREZHOGIN – (26) — RUSSIA – (1 app, 9 ga) — since 2007 from Montreal Canadiens (NHL) 
• # 41 — PATRICK THORESEN – (26) — NORWAY – (4 app, 21 ga) — since 2009 from HC Lugano (Switz)
• # 42 — SERGEI ZINOVIEV – (30) — RUSSIA – (6 app, 44 ga) — since 2009 from Dynamo Moscow
• # 47 — ALEXANDER RADULOV – (23) — RUSSIA - (4 app, 28 ga) — since 2008 from Nashville Predators (NHL) 
• # 50 — DMITRI TSYBIN – (23) — Russia — since 2009 from Toros Neftekamsk
• # 52 — VIKTOR KOZLOV – (35) — RUSSIA — (7 app, 45 ga) — since 2009 from Washington Capitals (NHL)
• # 55 — ALEXANDER CHIGLINTSEV – (20) — Russia — since 2009 from youth
• # 58 — ALEXEI MEDVEDEV – (28) — Russia — since 2007 from Metallurg Novokuznetsk

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Six Salavat Yulayev Ufa players – Kalinin, Kozlov, Ko. Koltsov, Perezhogin, Radulov, Tverdovsky — are former 1st round draft picks of National Hockey League clubs. 

NHL EXPERIENCE (games played):  Kozlov 897, Tverdovsky 713, Kalinin 539, Radulov 145, Ko. Koltsov 144, Schastlivy 129, Perezhogin 128, Thoresen 106, Kondratiev 40, Vorobiev 33, Zinoviev 10, Kolesnik 8

AHL EXPERIENCE (games played) :  Vorobiev 226, Ki. Koltsov 102, Perezhogin 88, Ko. Koltsov 86, Taratukhin 80, Kalinin 79, Kondratiev 72, Hannula 67, Antipov 54, Thoresen 34, Schastlivy 31, Kolesnik 29, Tverdovsky 23, Radulov 11, Grigorenko 5, Zinoviev 4

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SALAVAT YULAVEV UFA — 2009-10 KHL regular season scoring leaders

Forwards

• 54 ga 24 go 39 as 63 pts — Alexander RADULOV
• 56 ga 24 go 33 as 57 pts — Patrick THORESEN — (Norway)
• 47 ga 17 go 36 as 53 pts — Sergei ZINOVIEV
• 55 ga 22 go 14 as 36 pts — Igor GRIGORENKO
• 56 ga 13 go 19 as 32 pts — Alexander PEREZHOGIN
• 56 ga 11 go 20 as 31 pts — Vladimir ANTIPOV
• 48 ga 10 go 18 as 28 pts — Viktor KOZLOV
• 56 ga 12 go 15 as 27 pts — Andrei TARATUKHIN
• 48 ga   8 go 17 as 25 pts — Konstantin KOLSTOV — (Belarus)
• 49 ga   6 go   9 as 15 pts — Alexander MEDVEDEV
• 36 ga   4 go   9 as 13 pts — Andrei SIDYAKIN
• 13 ga   3 go   7 as 10 pts — Mika HANNULA — (Sweden)
• 30 ga   6 go   3 as   9 pts — Ruslan NURTDINOV
• 21 ga   0 go   6 as   6 pts — Vladimir VOROBIEV
• 25 ga   3 go   3 as   6 pts — Ilya ZUBOV
•   7 ga   1 go   3 as   4 pts — Petr SCHASTLIVY
•   8 ga   0 go   1 as   1 pts — Artem GORDEYEV
•   4 ga   0 go   0 as   0 pts — Dmitri TSYBIN
•   2 ga   0 go   0 as   0 pts — Alexander CHIGLINTSEV

Defensemen

• 45 ga   6 go 16 as 22 pts — Kirill KOLTSOV
• 53 ga 12 go 10 as 22 pts — Dmitri KALININ
• 54 ga   6 go 16 as 22 pts — Vitali PROSHKIN
• 42 ga   8 go 13 as 21 pts — Oleg TVERDOVSKY
• 55 ga   5 go 12 as 17 pts — Miroslav BLATAK — (Czech Rep)
• 36 ga   7 go   8 as 15 pts — Ilya GOROKHOV
• 24 ga   2 go   7 as   9 pts — Andrei KUTEYKIN
• 30 ga   2 go   5 as   7 pts — Maxim KONDRATIEV
• 13 ga   0 go   1 as   1 pts — Mikhail GRIGORIEV

Goaltenders

• 32 ga – 1.77 avg – 2 so — Alexander YEREMENKO
• 34 ga – 2.22 avg – 5 so — Vitali KOLESNIK — (Kazakhstan)

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IN-SEASON TRANSACTIONS :

• in —- HANNULA from IF Djurgarden Stockholm
• in —- SCHASTLIVY from CSKA Moscow
• out — ZUBOV to CSKA Moscow

Salavat Yulayev Ufa forward ALEXANDER PEREZHOGIN (37), parked in front of the Ak Bars Kazan cage, is provided a centering pass by teammate ANDREI TARATUKHIN (22) earlier this season in the Kontinental Hockey League. (Andrei Starostin/RIA Novosti)

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A pair of goals from ALEXANDER PEREZHOGIN saw Salavat Yulayev Ufa safely past a pesky Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in the Kontinental Hockey League’s Gargarin Cup playoff action Sunday.

The 2-1 result in favor of Salavat Yulayev successfully concludes the Eastern Conference semifinal series in six games for Russian national team boss VYACHESLAV BYKOV’s club.

Perezhogin, a former # 1 draft choice of the Montreal Canadiens and who skated two seasons for Les Habs (135 ga, 15 go 19 as, 34 pts, 86 pim) before signing with Salavat Yulayev Ufa to start the 2007-08 season, broke a 1-1 deadlock with but 3:45 remaining in the match from Nizhnekamsk. 

Perezhogin scored 13 goals in 56 regular season games for Ufa this term; the 26-year-old pushed his playoff total to four goals from ten games. The Russian international is now second on Salavat Yulayev in Gargarin Cup goals behind Norway’s Olympian, PATRICK THORESEN, who has tallied five goals for Ufa thus far. 

Russian Olympian and former Nashville Predator ALEXANDER RADULOV leads Salavat Yulayev, not to mention the entire KHL, in playoff scoring with 3 goals and 15 points from ten Gargarin Cup contests.

Erstwhile Edmonton Oiler and Philadelphia Flyer Thoresen is tied for second in Cargarin Cup scoring with ten points.

Salavat Yulayev Ufa are, of course, continue to play without injured Russian international SERGEI ZINOVIEV. The one-time Boston Bruins forward, who was very high on the KHL scoring list virtually all regular season, was injured in February at the Vancouver Games.

Swedish international MIKA HANNULA, who arrived in Ufa from IF Djurgarden Stockholm only just after the New Year, assisted on both goals for Salavat Yulayev today. An Olympic gold medalist from the Turin Games, Hannula has now contributed two goals and five points to Ufa’s playoff adventure. 

Salavat Yulayev Ufa’s Russian international goaltender ALEXANDER YEREMENKO blocked 28 shots in today’s victory and lifted his Gargarin Cup record to 6-2 while lowering his goals-against-average to 1.35 from eight games.

Bykov’s boys from Ufa, who previously put out Avtomobilist Sverdlovsk at the quarterfinal stage, advance to the Kontinental Hockey League Conference Final.

Salavat Yulayev will oppose the always-strong Ak Bars Kazan club. Ak Bars, entering as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, upended number two seed Metallurg Magnitogorsk four games to two in their semifinal series.

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Salavat Yulayev Ufa forward ALEXANDER PEREZHOGIN (37) challenges goaltender ROMAN TUREK of Czech Republic representative HC Ceske Budejovice during IIHF Champions Hockey League play in October of 2008. (Epsilon/Getty Images)

ERC Ingolstadt's American defenseman TIM HAMBLY (#14, dark shirt) and Koelner Haie's Swedish forward DANIEL RUDSLATT (#14, white shirt) haggle for possession of the puck behind the net at Saturn Arena in Bavaria. ERC Ingolstadt elminated Koelner Haie two games to one and advance to the quarterfinals of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga playoffs. (Stefan Jonat/Eishockey.Info)

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German Olympic forward THOMAS GREILINGER snapped a 3-3 stalemate with less than seven minutes to go in the winner-take-all match as ERC INGOLSTADT advanced to the Deutsche Eishockey Liga playoff quarterfinal round with a 6-3 win over visiting KOELNER HAIE in Bavaria.

Slovak international IVAN CIERNIK had given the Cologne a 2-0 first period lead with a pair of goals for a promising Shark start this Palm Sunday. The one-time Portland Pirate struck a second time on the power play after Ingolstadt’s TYLER BOUCK was bounced from the game for a hit to the back of Czech DUSAN FROSCH’s head. Bouck, the 30-year-old, two-time Canadian IIHF World Junior international and former second round draft choice of the Dallas Stars, signed for ERC Ingolstadt this past off-season after two years in American Hockey League with the Portland Pirates.

Ingolstadt rallied at home to even the score in the second period at the Saturn Arena (attendance – 3,426), however.

German MICHAEL WAGINGER, with the man-advantage, and former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher BEN CLYMER were able to lift the Bavarian club out of the hole heading into the final frame. 

The defenseman Clymer presented Ingolstadt with their initial lead of the matinee match on the power play roughly three minutes into the third period. But ex-Michigan State University Spartan BRYAN ADAMS, an NCAA tournament champion a dozen years ago, brought Koelner Haie level just past the nine-minute mark.

Greilinger, who led the Deutsche Eishockey Liga with 38 goals during the regular season, shot Ingolstadt out front for good exactly four minutes later.

Former Philadelphia Flyers second round pick PAT KAVANAGH converted a pass from Clymer past Koelner Haier netminder NORM MARACLE with three minutes minus one second remaining to increase the Ingolstadt margin and effectively seal matters.

German Olympic defenseman JAKUB FICENEC tacked on an empty-netter with nineteen seconds to go.

The 31-year-old Clymer, a former second round selection of the Boston Bruins and veteran of 438 National Hockey League contests, last played in North America with the AHL’s Hershey Bears before leaving to link with Belarussian club Dynamo Minsk to start the 2008-09 campaign. In his first year with Ingolstadt this season, the United States international totaled eight goals and 32 points in 37 DEL games.

Clymer was Herculean with his two goals, four points versus the Sharks and was easily selected as the man of the do-or-die playoff match by the official website of the Detusche Eishockey Liga, www.del.org.

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ERC Ingolstadt forward PAT KAVANAGH (15) confronts Koelner Haie netminder NORM MARACLE (34) at the side of the goal in win-or-go home German league playoff action. (del.org photo)

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KOELNER HAIE could not take advantage of its opportunity on home ice and allowed ERC Ingolstadt to even the Deutsche Eishockey Liga quarterfinal qualification series with a 3-2 victory in overtime at the Lanxess Arena.

Czechoslovak-born German Olympic defenseman JAKUB FICENEC, who played junior hockey in British Columbia before skating 125 games (24 go 27 as, 51 pts, 77 pim) for the Portland Pirates in the American Hockey League at the beginning of the millenium, found the back of net for Ingolstadt in the 14th minute on the power play.

Ingolstadt once again applied a great deal of pressure in the opening period, but, once again, as in the playoff opener, Koelner Haie goalkeeper NORM MARACLE managed to keep his club in the match with fifteen saves.

Five seconds following the midpoint of the game, forward RICK GIRARD added another goal for Ingolstadt, again with a Cologne Shark seated in the penalty box. For Girard, the former Canadian junior international who spent three seasons with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch (159 ga, 44 go 62 as, 106 pts, 74 pim) in the mid-1990s, it marked his second goal in as many games against Maracle. The Sharks’ puckstopper, of course, put in four AHL seasons himself in the mid-90s for the Adirondack Red Wings.

Koelner Haie did respond in the second half of the second period.

Mid-season free agent signing MARC CHOUINARD, who hit the post in the 32nd minute, drew Cologne within one with a goal five minutes from the end of the second session. Chouinard collected his first DEL playoff goal after a fine pass from the Czech forward DUSAN FROSCH.

With less than a minute to go in the middle period, Norwegian Olympic defenseman MATS TRYGG tied the score with the Sharks skating on the man-advantage.

In the third, Maracle was again a major factor with a further fourteen saves; the one-time Stanley Cup winner enjoyed another outstanding game for Koelner Haie and ended with an even 50 saves for the night. Meanwhile, German Olympic goaltender DMITRI PATZOLD rebounded from a dreadful performance in the playoff opener and also kept a cleansheet for ERC Ingolstadt. The former San Jose Sharks farmhand finished with 29 saves.

Thus, an extra session was required.

Ingolstadt dominated overtime as evidenced by the lopsiped 7-1 shots-on-goal total. Trygg would take a controversial penalty for Koelner Haie at the 8:18 mark of overtime. And so, with just 27 seconds left in added time, Ficenec facilitated the winner for Ingolstadt with his second goal of the game and tied the playoff series with Koeln at one win apiece.

A crowd of 9,293 turned out what for could be the final game of the season at the 18,500-seat Lanxess Arena Friday night in Cologne.

A final, winner-take-all match between Koelner Haie and ERC Ingolstadt will be contested Sunday at the SATURN ARENA in Ingolstadt, Bavaria.

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One Cologne Shark leapfrogs another during Deutsche Eishockey League playoff action at the Lanxess Arena. At left for Ingolstadt is former University of Minnesota defenseman BEN CLYMER (7), a veteran of 438 NHL games (52 go 77 as, 129 pts, 367 pim) for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals. Clymer arrived in Germany to start this season from Belarussian club Dynamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. (Bild.de photo)

10th seed KOELNER HAIE (Cologne Sharks) received six goals from six different players and stormed to a surprise 6-1 opening-game victory on the road over 7th-seeded ERC Ingolstadt on the road in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga playoffs.

Cologne coach BILL STEWART made a significant move by benching Swiss international goaltender LARS WEIBEL, who had appeared in 48 (3.12 avg, 90.6 sv pct) of the Sharks’ 56 regular season contests.

Replacement netminder NORM MARACLE, a former Stanley Cup winner with the Detroit Red Wings, enjoyed an oustanding match and finished with 33 saves. The 35-year-old veteran, who arrived in January from Croatian club HK Olimpija Ljubljana of the Austrian Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, was of paramount importance in the opening period. Maracle kept ERC Ingolstadt off the scoreboard as the Sharks were heavily outshot 18-6 in the opening twenty minutes.

Maracle had played just five DEL games for Koeln (3.22 avg) and entered the playoff tie with ERC Ingolstadt sporting an 0-3 won-loss record in between the pipes for die Haie.

Ingolstadt did score eighteen seconds into the middle frame thru former Vancouver Canucks 1993 2nd round draft choice RICK GIRARD. But, the Sharks would respond with four second period goals despite again being outshot for the session. IVAN CIERNIK, BRYAN ADAMS, JASON JASPERS and CHRISTOPH MELISCHKO all lit the lamp for visiting Koeln. 

Die Haie, who reported played a very aggressive and physical match, added third period tallies from DANIEL RUDSLATT and CHRISTOPH ULLMANN.

Adams, Jaspers, Ullman and German Olympic forward MARCEL MUELLER, who mustered a pair of assists, all collected two points for Cologne in the contest.

“That was the first step, but Friday is a new day,” Stewart stated after the game. “Norm Maracle was the difference today.”

Cash-strapped Koelner Haie can put away ERC Ingolstadt in the short, best-of-three mini-series and advance to the quarterfinals of the DEL playoffs with a victory on Friday at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne.