Since I have hockey, I share the wealth. I am a loving Sparky, my children, and here share the bounty of my mind with you.

Mannheim beat Wolfsburg on Sunday for their eighth win in a row (last loss: Sept. 24, next loss is likely Oct. 24) and extends their lead at the top of the standings to 4 points (a win is worth 3).

It was a sloppy game; if the Adler had been playing a good team it would have been trouble. Scoreless first with action at both ends and good goalie play. Mannheim went nuts in the second, putting up all 4 of their goals including a gorgeous end-to-end PP rush by Andy Delmore in which he eluded all 4 opposing skaters and beat the goalie with a sneaky laser of a wrister from 20 feet. Wolfsburg got a second-chance goal in the third, but came no closer.

Mannheim's defense is excellent for most of the game, but prone not just to occasional errors but to cataclysmic breakdowns: centering passes to the other team in thier own zone, sudden failures to clear the puck for 45 seconds at a time, falling down on a 2-1 against, that sorta thing. Cristobal Huet is dominating in net though he makes everyone nervous when he plays the puck (he's good, two assists this year, he just does it way too much). I mean, he got a rousing ovation two games ago for pulling a totally unnecessary spinorama-behind-the-back pass 15 feet out of net with two opposing fore-checkers on him. Just smother it, man!

Highlights:
-Huet doing gymnastics during a 10-second scramble in front of the net and the puck going everywhere but in despite 5-6 good chances.
-Delmore's end-to-end rush: he had to make a curtain call 5 minutes after the game was over 'cause the crowd was still chanting his name.
-Huet letting one trickle through, the puck slowly bouncing three feet and across the goal line...but no, a defenseman sweeps it away off the line! No goal!

Regardless, a win is a win and Mannheim is certainly doing a lot of winning right now. Jochen Hecht was held pointless after putting up 9 points in the last two games (4 goals, 5 assists) Penguins visit on Friday, then they head out to arch-rival Cologne on Sunday.

Geez, you should feel right at home, watching that team- they sound like a combination of Dale Hunter's London Knights (starting this season 10-0, no losses yet), the Portland Pirates ( JR and Battleship caution that if Portland had been playing a stronger or a veteran team, they probably couldn't have won their first 2), and our beloved Caps (the "cataclysmic breakdowns" part)!

Great report!

Andy Delmore rocks!

Boy, if there are going to be Adler Mannheim highlights on here on a regular basis, I am DEFINITELY going to be a frequent visitor to this board. Delly's a fave of mine.

Thanks for the update! (Sorry I'm a few days late, but this is the first I've seen of this discussion thread.)

Glad you like it.

No highlights lately, the Adler lost the touch and got blown out each of the last two games. They're on the road today, fingers crossed.

I'll be in class or on vacation for most of November, so it'll be a while until the next eyewitness update, but I'll post some more when I get back.