2018–19 DEL2 season

The 2018–19 DEL2 season was the sixth season since the founding of the DEL2, the second tier of German ice hockey, set below the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The season ran from 14 September 2018 till 28 April 2019. Löwen Frankfurt was crowned league premiers by finishing top of the regular season standings. Ravensburg Towerstars caused an upset by claiming the championship title by defeating Löwen Frankfurt 4-2 in the final series. Promoted team, Deggendorfer SC, was unable to survive in DEL2 and was relegated after losing the relegation playoffs final 3-4 against Wölfe Freiburg.
==Modus==
Fourteen teams competed in the 2018–19 DEL2 regular season. Deggendorfer SC was promoted from Germany's third division, Oberliga. Each team played each other twice in the regular season, home and away, for a total of 52 matches each. The top six teams directly qualified for the championship playoffs, played in a best of seven format. Teams placed seven to ten advanced to the championship playoff qualifiers, which follow a best of three format. The bottom four teams enter the relegation playoffs. The two losing teams from round 1 face off in the relegation final with the losing team being relegated to Oberliga.
The DEL2 champion does not automatically get promoted to DEL. 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. In 2018, the two leagues signed a new agreement to reintroduce an automatic promotion and relegation system to start in 2020–21.
==Regular season==
===Results===
The cross table represents the results of all matches of the regular season. The home team is listed in the middle column, the visiting team in the top row.
First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	First round	Team	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round	Second round
SCB 	FRA 	ESV 	ECN 	ECK 	RVT 	DRE 	HNF 	EPC 	LFX 	FRB 	ECT 	BTT 	DSC 	Team	SCB 	FRA 	ESV 	ECN 	ECK 	RVT 	DRE 	HNF 	EPC 	LFX 	FRB 	ECT 	BTT 	DSC
 	2:4 	4:2 	5:3 	3:8 	4:5S 	3:4O 	6:1 	6:3 	2:5 	2:4 	6:3 	2:3O 	4:2 	SCB 	 	4:3O 	3:5 	3:0 	3:0 	4:1 	6:3 	4:3O 	6:7O 	5:1 	5:1 	5:0 	6:3 	4:5O
2:3 	 	5:2 	3:4 	5:2 	4:7 	3:1 	5:3 	4:3 	5:4O 	5:0 	9:2 	10:4 	1:4 	FRA 	5:4O 	 	3:2O 	3:4O 	1:2 	8:1 	6:1 	6:2 	9:1 	5:1 	4:1 	4:3 	3:4 	5:4
3:4O 	4:3 	 	7:3 	2:1O 	1:4 	1:4 	7:2 	6:2 	4:6 	1:0 	7:1 	3:2O 	9:2 	ESV 	4:3 	6:3 	 	4:3 	2:1 	3:2 	3:5 	1:5 	9:1 	2:5 	3:4 	3:4O 	3:4 	6:3
5:3 	3:4O 	3:5 	 	3:4 	7:5 	5:4 	3:4S 	5:0 	2:3O 	2:5 	4:2 	5:1 	5:2 	ECN 	3:5 	5:4S 	0:3 	 	1:0 	6:3 	6:2 	9:5 	6:3 	5:3 	4:0 	6:2 	3:2 	5:1
1:6 	0:4 	0:1 	2:3 	 	2:6 	0:2 	4:2 	1:2 	5:2 	1:2S 	6:2 	4:5O 	6:2 	ECK 	4:2 	4:1 	2:3 	3:6 	 	5:2 	6:2 	5:4O 	4:8 	3:2 	5:2 	5:1 	6:1 	3:1
8:5 	1:2 	4:3 	4:2 	3:5 	 	8:1 	3:2O 	7:2 	9:2 	5:2 	5:4O 	7:1 	5:1 	RVT 	2:4 	3:1 	6:1 	5:4O 	3:1 	 	2:3O 	5:3 	5:6O 	3:4O 	3:0 	3:4 	2:3 	4:3O
6:5 	2:5 	2:1 	3:1 	2:5 	4:0 	 	3:6 	3:4 	1:2O 	6:3 	3:1 	3:4O 	4:1 	DRE 	2:5 	6:3 	6:3 	4:2 	6:1 	3:2 	 	2:6 	3:2O 	3:4S 	3:6 	6:2 	5:4 	3:2
3:5 	4:3O 	2:3 	3:2 	2:4 	2:5 	5:2 	 	3:2 	7:6O 	7:6O 	3:2O 	3:2 	5:7 	HNF 	4:3S 	3:6 	3:4 	8:3 	3:1 	3:4S 	3:4O 	 	7:4 	5:4 	3:0 	2:1 	6:1 	9:1
3:2 	2:3S 	2:3 	6:3 	5:2 	3:5 	11:4 	2:5 	 	1:4 	4:2 	6:3 	1:6 	3:4 	EPC 	4:7 	4:5S 	2:1 	3:4 	1:5 	4:1 	6:1 	6:3 	 	4:3 	5:4 	6:3 	2:6 	6:3
0:3 	2:6 	2:4 	3:2 	4:1 	5:4 	1:0 	8:5 	5:4 	 	5:4O 	2:3O 	1:2S 	4:2 	LFX 	3:2 	1:2S 	6:3 	2:4 	2:0 	4:0 	6:2 	3:2 	3:4 	 	4:1 	7:0 	1:2O 	4:1
2:4 	3:1 	0:1O 	4:0 	0:1 	2:3 	5:4 	4:6 	5:2 	3:2 	 	3:6 	5:3 	1:3 	FRB 	2:0 	4:6 	4:1 	0:2 	1:2S 	2:3 	3:4O 	2:5 	4:1 	1:2 	 	3:1 	4:2 	6:1
3:4O 	6:2 	2:4 	3:4S 	4:3 	3:7 	3:2 	7:4 	0:3 	1:4 	5:0 	 	5:2 	5:1 	ECT 	4:7 	4:3S 	1:2 	2:1S 	2:3O 	1:4 	4:3 	2:1 	3:2S 	4:3O 	7:3 	 	5:6 	3:2
2:3 	1:2 	5:6O 	2:3 	3:1 	4:5 	4:1 	4:5 	0:5 	4:6 	4:2 	4:2 	 	0:7 	BTT 	4:3 	5:2 	4:2 	4:7 	4:1 	5:3 	3:5 	6:3 	5:2 	2:4 	4:3 	3:2O 	 	6:7
1:9 	1:5 	1:4 	2:5 	4:2 	3:5 	3:5 	7:5 	6:5O 	2:4 	5:4S 	3:5 	7:5 	 	DSC 	2:0 	4:5 	4:5 	2:1O 	2:3 	2:7 	5:2 	7:4 	5:6S 	4:0 	3:2S 	2:4 	2:0 	
Note: O Overtime; S Shootout
===Standings===
Pos	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
1. 	Löwen Frankfurt (P) 	52	26	4	3	3	2	14	97	211	153	+58	699	16-3-1-6 	10-4-4-8
2. 	Bietigheim Steelers 	52	26	4	0	5	2	15	93	208	161	+47	601	14-2-5-5 	12-2-2-10
3. 	Ravensburg Towerstars (C)	52	26	4	2	3	0	17	93	209	163	+46	680	14-4-3-5 	12-2-0-12
4. 	ESV Kaufbeuren 	52	27	4	0	3	0	18	92	178	153	+25	599	14-2-2-8 	13-2-1-10
5. 	Lausitzer Füchse 	52	25	4	1	5	2	15	92	174	155	+19	568	16-1-4-5 	9-4-3-10
6. 	EC Bad Nauheim 	52	26	1	2	4	2	17	90	187	165	+22	663	17-1-3-5 	9-2-3-12
7. 	EC Kassel Huskies 	52	22	2	1	2	1	24	75	146	145	+1 	577	13-1-2-10	9-2-1-14
8. 	Heilbronner Falken 	52	19	4	2	4	1	22	74	204	206	-2 	789	12-5-2-7 	7-1-3-15
9. 	Dresdner Eislöwen 	52	20	5	0	2	1	24	73	165	191	-26	618	15-1-3-7 	5-4-0-17
10.	Eispiraten Crimmitschau 	52	20	2	1	2	3	24	71	186	212	-26	634	14-0-2-10	6-3-3-14
11.	Bayreuth Tigers 	52	18	5	1	2	0	26	68	170	196	-26	556	12-1-1-12	6-5-1-14
12.	Tölzer Löwen 	52	15	3	3	5	1	25	63	152	196	-44	750	11-4-3-8 	4-2-3-17
13.	EHC Freiburg 	52	16	0	1	4	3	28	57	134	171	-37	500	12-0-3-11	4-1-4-17
14.	Deggendorfer SC (R) 	52	14	3	2	1	1	31	54	161	218	-37	704	8-4-1-13 	6-1-1-18
Championship playoffs	Championship playoff qualifiers	Relegation playoffs
Points rules: 3 points for regulation win; 2 points for OT or SO win; 1 point for OT or SO loss; 0 points for regulation loss 
Tie-break rules: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored. 
(C) Champions; (P) Premiers; (R) Relegated 
Source:
===Top scorers===
Name 	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	+/−
Roope Ranta 	Heilbronner Falken 	51	31	48	79	65 	+2
Matt McKnight 	Bietigheim Steelers 	51	26	53	79	28 	−1
Dustin Sylvester 	EC Bad Nauheim 	52	26	45	71	78 	−1
Jordan Knackstedt	Dresdner Eislöwen 	51	21	50	71	119	+3
Sami Blomqvist 	ESV Kaufbeuren 	50	39	31	70	32 	+11
Adam Mitchell 	Löwen Frankfurt 	51	23	47	70	50 	+11
Greg Gibson 	Heilbronner Falken 	51	35	31	66	44 	+12
Derek Damon 	Heilbronner Falken 	52	18	45	63	68 	+3
Rob Flick 	Eispiraten Crimmitschau	52	34	27	61	98 	−5
Norman Hauner 	Bietigheim Steelers 	51	32	29	61	26 	+7
Stephen MacAulay 	Tölzer Löwen 	51	25	36	61	48 	−9
Source:
===Top goaltenders===
Name 	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Leon Hungerecker 	EC Kassel Huskies 	23	0	1251:47	54 	2.59	720 	666 	92.50%
Marcel Melichercik	EC Kassel Huskies 	27	1	1503:33	74 	2.95	925 	851 	92.00%
Jonas Langmann 	Ravensburg Towerstars	45	1	2652:49	130	2.94	1523	1393	91.46%
Jimmy Hertel 	EHC Freiburg 	21	1	1138:00	54 	2.85	617 	563 	91.25%
Olafr Schmidt 	Lausitzer Füchse 	31	3	1683:33	71 	2.53	809 	738 	91.22%
Matthias Nemec 	EHC Freiburg 	34	1	1954:36	103	3.16	1153	1050	91.07%
Felix Bick 	Löwen Frankfurt 	38	3	2224:24	104	2.81	1159	1055	91.03%
Ilya Sharipov 	Bietigheim Steelers 	26	2	1501:58	70 	2.80	762 	692 	90.81%
Ilya Andryukhov 	Löwen Frankfurt 	21	0	1197:54	51 	2.55	551 	500 	90.74%
Mirko Pantkowski 	Heilbronner Falken 	41	0	2343:12	134	3.43	1440	1306	90.69%
Ben Meisner 	Tölzer Löwen 	43	1	2351:46	132	3.37	1381	1249	90.44%
Note: To qualify for this list, goaltenders need to have played a minimum of 20 matches 
Source:
==Playoffs==
===Championship===
The championship play-offs:
The qualifiers for the playoffs ran between 8 March 2019 to 12 March 2019. Four teams (7v10 and 8v9) competed in best of three series’. The two winning teams advanced to the championship playoffs. In 2019, the two lower ranked teams in the qualifiers, Dresdner Eislöwen and ETC Crimmitschau, won their series and advanced to the playoffs. Kassel Huskies and Heilbronner Falken were knocked out and their season ended.
The championship playoffs ran between 15 March 2019 to 28 April 2019. Eight teams competed in best of seven series'. The series winning teams advanced through from the quarter-finals to the final. In 2019, the top seed Löwen Frankfurt dominated their quarter and semi-finals to reach the final. However, they lost the final series 4-2 to third seed Ravensburg Towerstars. The Towerstars claimed their second division 2 championship and their first DEL2 championship trophy.
Note: All numbers represent series results, not a match score
===Relegation===
The relegation play-offs:
The relegation playoffs is contested between the four teams who finish bottom of the regular season standings. Run between 15 March 2019 and 16 April 2019, the four teams play best of seven series’. The teams that lose their first round advance to the second round. The winners secure their DEL2 status and avoid relegation. Whoever loses the second round is relegated to Oberliga. The 2019 edition saw Deggendorfer SC relegated to Oberliga after losing their first round series 4-0 against Bayreuth Tigers before going to the wire but ultimately losing the seventh match against Wölfe Freiburg in the second round.
Note: All numbers represent series results, not a match score
==References==
==External links==
* Official website
* Official Facebook
* Elite Prospects home
Category:2018–19 in European second tier ice hockey leagues
2018-19 DEL2
Category:2018–19 in German ice hockey