With seven wins in a row, the SG Flensburg-Handewitt stormed to the top of the DAIKIN HBL. Before heading into a week of international matches, this streak is to be confirmed with another success. Kick-off against HC Erlangen is at 6 p.m. on Sunday in the GP JOULE Arena.
HC Erlangen has got off to a much better start than last season. The club from Franconia ended the first half of the season with just five points and only secured its place in the league on the final matchday. Someone who personifies the current upswing is a native of Flensburg. Marek Nissen moved from TuS N-Lübbecke to the south in the summer of 2024, became a goal scorer in recent weeks and recently extended his contract until 2028. "I f"I feel very comfortable in Erlangen, both privately and in terms of sport, and I can well imagine living here for a long time to come and achieving a lot with the club," says the 24-year-old, who was once a member of the SG youth team. He and his team-mates were standing on Erlangen's Schlossplatz shortly before the start of the season, where their club had invited the fans to the now traditional season opener. They were all in agreement: a nerve-wracking season like the last one should not be repeated. The meagre sporting results had triggered two changes of coach. Johannes Sellin started the season as head coach before Martin Schwalb took over responsibility on the bench after four match days. After just 15 games, the veteran coach was forced out and Johannes Sellin was promoted again. Now the coach is hoping for a more relaxed season.
Erlangen as a scare for the favorites
Two results made the competition sit up and take notice: a fairly commanding away win in Hanover and, above all, the draw against SC Magdeburg. In addition, there was a defeat in Gummersbach and the cup defeat at second-division side Nordhorn. "It's normal in sport that things never go up in a straight line," explainsJohannes Sellin explains. "You always have a few ups and a few downs." Before this season, HC Erlangen relied on a down-to-earth transfertransfer policy and few changes to the squad. Only the Icelander Andri Runarsson was signed from Leipzig for the backcourt, while Nikolai Link and Nico Büdel, two long-serving players, ended their professional careers. At the beginning of the month, the 21-year-old Croatian junior international goalkeeper Tin Herceg was signed. He will support regular keepers Dario Quenstedt and Khalifa Ghedbane. Other key players are captain Christopher Bissel, the variable left-handed player Christoph Steinert, the Norwegian playmaker Sander Andreassen Øverjordet and left-back Viggó Kristjánsson.
