The Straubing Tigers are a professional men's ice hockey team, based in Straubing, Germany, that competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Straubing plays its home games at the Eisstadion am Pulverturm, which has a capacity of 5,635 spectators.

Straubing Tigers
CityStraubing
LeagueDeutsche Eishockey Liga
Founded1941
Home arenaEisstadion am Pulverturm
(capacity: 5,635)
Colours     
General managerJason Dunham
Head coachTom Pokel
CaptainSandro Schönberger
Websitestraubing-tigers.de
Franchise history
Straubing Tigers

Promoted to the DEL in 2006, and operating with one of the league's smallest budgets, the team could finish no better than twelfth before the 2011–12 DEL season, when it reached the semi-finals of the playoffs. Their greatest success so far is the qualification for the Champions Hockey League seasons 2020–21 (cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), 2022-23 and 2024-25. In 2022-23, Straubing finished first in the CHL group stage and reached the round of 16 against Frölunda HC.

History

edit

Bann Straubing (1941–1943)

edit

In 1941, the then 14-year-old Max Pielmaier and his friends Max Pellkofer and Harry Poiger founded the first hockey team in Straubing.[1] The first official game took place on the first of February 1942 in Hof, which Straubing lost by a score of 0:1. In the following year there were several games against other Bavarian teams. The game against Landshut on 31 January 1943 was the last game during the Second World War, as the younger players had to join the military after that.

TSV 1861 Straubing (1946–1981)

edit

After the end of the war the players of Bann Straubing decided to join the TSV 1861 Straubing. Their home games were played on a pond near the medieval Pulverturm (powder tower) in Straubing where the ice stadium Eisstadion am Pulverturm is located today.

The construction of the Eisstadion am Pulverturm began in 1967 and consisted of an open ice rink surrounded by stands. The first game in the new arena was played on the 13. November 1967 against Preussen Berlin. The TSV Straubing started their first Season in the Kunsteis-Bayernliga where they got to the second place. The TSV Straubing rose to the Regionalliga (3. league) in 1970 and the Oberliga (2. league) in 1971, but had to go back to the third league when the 2nd Bundesliga, which replaced the Oberliga, was founded with fewer teams than the Oberliga had. They got back to the 2nd Bundesliga in 1975 when they won the playoff finals against the EV Regensburg.

EHC Straubing (1981–2002)

edit

The EHC Straubing was founded when the hockey team split from the TSV Straubing in 1981. The ice hockey stadium has belonged to the city of Straubing since the foundation of the EHC Straubing. Although the EHC reached the 7th place in the Season 1982/83 they had to start again in 4. league because of financial problems. The EHC Straubing adapted the nickname "Die Tiger" (the tigers) in 1994 and mainly played in the Oberliga (third league) until they rose back to the 2nd Bundesliga in the year 2000. The professional section split from the EHC Straubing when it had to register bankruptcy in April 2002 and the Straubing Tigers AG was founded. Since then the EHC trains the junior teams of the Straubing Tigers, and also includes a recreational team.

Straubing Tigers (since 2002)

edit

After Straubing lost the finals of the 2nd Bundesliga against EV Duisburg in 2005, they won the championship in 2006 and were promoted to the DEL for the first time in history. Straubing is by far the smallest town which has a team in the DEL and also has one of the lowest budgets in the entire league. When the Straubing Tigers reached a playoff rank for the first time in 2012 they miraculously won the quarter-finals against the Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg with a sweep and got to the semi-finals where they lost to the later German champion Eisbären Berlin. With one of the lowest budgets in the entire league Straubing regularly manages to get to the playoffs since 2012 and even qualified for the Champions Hockey League when they finished in the top three in the 2019–20 season. Their first season in the CHL was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic but they qualified again for the season 2022-2023, where they won the group stage and played against Frölunda HC in the round of 16.

Season records

edit
 
Tigers Logo 2004–2021
Season Games Won OTW SOW Lost OTL SOL Points Goals
for
Goals
against
Rank Playoffs
2006–07 52 12 4 4 28 3 1 56 135 189 12 No playoffs
2007–08 56 12 0 4 34 4 2 50 132 197 14 No playoffs
2008–09 52 17 3 4 25 1 2 68 144 164 13 No playoffs
2009–10 56 18 3 2 27 0 6 70 149 193 13 No playoffs
2010–11 52 15 5 4 24 3 1 67 145 159 13 No playoffs
2011–12 52 20 4 4 20 1 3 80 161 151 6 Lost in semi-finals
2012–13 52 21 2 2 23 2 2 74 133 145 9 Lost in first round
2013–14 52 17 2 1 23 3 6 63 136 153 12 No playoffs
2014–15 52 10 1 4 32 2 3 45 103 168 13 No playoffs
2015–16 52 22 1 2 24 2 1 75 147 159 9 Lost in first round
2016–17 52 18 3 0 24 4 3 67 147 168 9 Lost in first round
2017–18 52 17 0 2 27 2 4 61 137 177 13 No playoffs
2018–19 52 21 3 3 19 5 1 81 159 151 8 Lost in wild card
2019–20 52 26 4 4 14 3 1 98 175 136 3 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
2020–21 37 15 2 0 16 1 3 53 103 102 8 Lost in quarterfinals
2021–22 54 29 1 0 17 3 4 96 188 158 4 Lost in quarterfinals
2022–23 56 25 5 4 17 2 3 98 190 166 4 Lost in quarterfinals
2023–24 52 25 5 2 15 1 4 94 167 130 3 Lost in semifinals

Players

edit

Current roster

edit

Updated 27 September 2024.

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
92   Marcel Brandt D L 32 2018 Dingolfing, Germany
61   Justin Braun D R 37 2023 St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
1   Florian Bugl G L 22 2022 Landshut, Germany
19   Tim Brunnhuber C L 25 2019 Eggenfelden, Germany
10   Michael Clarke C L 30 2023 London, Ontario, Canada
22   Mike Connolly C L 35 2015 Calgary, Alberta, Canada
9   Stephan Daschner D R 36 2018 Ingolstadt, Germany
91   Tim Fleischer C R 24 2024 Iserlohn, Germany
42   Cole Fonstad C L 24 2023 Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada
5   Nicolas Geitner D L 25 2024 Düsseldorf, Germany
6   Alex Green D R 26 2024 Chicago, Illinois, United States
75   Elis Hede F L 23 2022 Pori, Finland
17   Adrian Klein D L 21 2020 Neustadt a.d.Waldnaab, Germany
7   Taylor Leier LW L 30 2024 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
53   Danjo Leonhardt F L 22 2024 Großburgwedel, Germany
88   JC Lipon RW R 31 2022 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
70   Zane McIntyre G L 32 2024 Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
86   Skyler McKenzie LW L 26 2024 Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
49   Marcel Müller LW L 36 2023 Berlin, Germany
77   Nelson Nogier D R 28 2024 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
8   Joshua Samanski C L 22 2021 Erding, Germany
43   Philip Samuelsson D L 33 2023 Leksand, Sweden
20   Justin Scott C L 29 2023 Burlington, Ontario, Canada
72   Pascal Seidel G L 21 2024 Neuss, Germany
74   Travis St. Denis C L 32 2024 Trail, British Columbia, Canada
13   Mario Zimmermann D L 23 2021 Altötting, Germany


References

edit
  1. ^ "Historie". EHC Straubing e.V. (in German). Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Deutsche Eishockey Liga beendet Saison vorzeitig". del.org (in German). Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
edit