2015–16 DEL2 season

The 2015–16 DEL2 season was the third season since the founding of the DEL2, the second tier of German ice hockey, set below the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

2015–16 DEL2 season
LeagueDEL2
SportIce Hockey
Duration11 September 2015–April 2016
Number of games364 (52 per team)
Number of teams14
Regular season
Season championsBietigheim Steelers
Finals
ChampionsEC Kassel Huskies

The regular season started on 11 September 2015 and was completed on 1 March 2016,[1] followed by the play-offs, which finished on 22 April 2016 with EC Kassel Huskies winning the league title.[2]

In the 2015–16 season the league was the best-supported second-tier ice hockey league in Europe with an average of 2,688 spectators per game.[3]

Modus

Fourteen teams played a regular season where each team played the other twice home and away. The teams placed first to sixth directly qualified for the play-offs while the teams placed seventh to tenth played a pre-play-off in the best-of-three format. The remained of the play-offs were staged in a best-of-seven format. The teams placed eleventh to fourteenth qualified for the play-downs, also played in the best-of-seven format with the losers of the first round advancing to the second. The loser of the second round was nominally relegated,[2] but Heilbronn retained its league place once more after the Fischtown Penguins were elevated to the DEL for the following season.

The league champion does not have the right for direct promotion to the Deutsche Eishockey Liga but, in September 2015, the DEL and DEL2 agreed to reintroduce promotion and relegation between the two leagues from the 2017–18 season onwards. The DEL2 champion would then have the opportunity to be promoted, provided it fulfilled the licensing requirements of the DEL, while the last-placed DEL club would be relegated.[4]

After DEL club Hamburg Freezers returned their licence in May 2016 the Fischtown Pinguins announced that they had applied for a DEL licence and were interested in taking up Hamburg's place in the league, with the DEL intending to keep the number of clubs in the league at 14.[5] On 1 July 2016 it was announced that the Pinguins had been granted a DEL licence for 2016–17.[6]

Regular season

The regular season saw one new club in the league, EHC Freiburg while the Heilbronner Falken, originally relegated at the end of the 2014–15 season, remained in the league after EV Landshut was relegated for financial reasons.[7]

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Bietigheim Steelers 52 34 3 3 12 207 130 +77 111 Advanced to playoffs
2 Fischtown Pinguins (P) 52 31 7 4 10 203 135 +68 111
3 Ravensburg Towerstars 52 24 10 0 18 202 136 +66 92
4 EC Kassel Huskies (C) 52 23 8 7 14 201 164 +37 92
5 Löwen Frankfurt 52 26 3 5 18 181 146 +35 89
6 EC Bad Nauheim 52 24 4 8 16 158 158 0 88
7 Dresdner Eislöwen 52 23 6 5 18 193 164 +29 86 Advanced to pre-playoffs
8 Starbulls Rosenheim 52 21 6 5 20 176 124 +52 80
9 SC Riessersee 52 18 5 6 23 165 176 −11 70
10 Eispiraten Crimmitschau 52 20 1 4 27 158 188 −30 66
11 Lausitzer Füchse 52 15 5 5 27 121 166 −45 60 Advanced to play-downs
12 ESV Kaufbeuren 52 15 1 9 27 153 199 −46 56
13 EHC Freiburg 52 14 4 5 29 128 179 −51 55
14 Heilbronner Falken 52 7 6 3 36 131 225 −94 36
Source: kicker.de
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted

Playoffs

Championship

The championship play-offs:[8]

First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
1 Bietigheim Steelers 4
7 Dresdner Eislöwen 2 8 SB Rosenheim 1
10 Crimmitschau 1 1 Bietigheim Steelers 4
7 Dresdner Eislöwen 1
3 Ravensburg 4 (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round)
6 EC Bad Nauheim 1
1 Bietigheim Steelers 0
4 EC Kassel Huskies 4
2 Fischtown Pinguins 3
8 SB Rosenheim 2 7 Dresdner Eislöwen 4
9 SC Riessersee 1 3 Ravensburg 2
4 EC Kassel Huskies 4
4 EC Kassel Huskies 4
5 Löwen Frankfurt 0

Relegation

The relegation play-offs:[9]

Semifinals Finals
      
9 Lausitzer Füchse 4
12 Heilbronner Falken 1
12 Heilbronner Falken 3
10 ESV Kaufbeuren 4
10 ESV Kaufbeuren 3
11 EHC Freiburg 4

References
  1. "DEL 2 - Spieltag / Tabelle" [DEL2 Match day/Table]. kicker.de (in German). Kicker (sports magazine). Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  2. "Spielmodus" [Modus]. del-2.org (in German). DEL2 website. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  3. "EUROPEAN ATTENDANCE RANKING PUBLISHED". iihf.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  4. "DEL: Rückkehr zu Auf- und Abstieg? Fahrplan steht!" [DEL: Return of relegation and promotion? Schedule decided!]. kicker.de (in German). Kicker (sports magazine). 8 September 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  5. "Hamburg weint - Bremerhaven hofft" [Hamburg in tears - Bremerhaven hopes]. kicker.de (in German). Kicker (sports magazine). 25 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  6. "Bremerhaven wird DEL-Standort" [Bremerhaven joins the DEL]. kicker.de (in German). Kicker (sports magazine). 1 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  7. "Heilbronner Falken komplettieren die DEL2" [Modus Heilbronner Falken remain in DEL2]. del-2.org (in German). DEL2 website. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  8. "DEL 2 Play-offs - 2016". kicker.de (in German). Kicker (sports magazine). Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  9. "DEL 2 Play-downs - 2016". kicker.de (in German). Kicker (sports magazine). Retrieved 13 March 2016.
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