TBV Suffers Completely Unexpected Loss in Hannover

Bitter loss to just-promoted team

The TBV never hit its stride playing the TSV Hannover-Burgdorf and by the end of the game, had to swallow a painful loss.

With a score of 25:26 (13:15), the TBV lost to the recently promoted team and thus lost a genuine chance to play a "fourth place final" this coming Wednesday against the SG Flensburg-Handewitt.

The first goal in the sold-out, 4,000 seat AWD arena was scored by Piotr Przybecki to make it 0:1 for Hannover. Jan-Fiete Buschmann made it 0:2. The TBV team showed their lack of concentration during this opening phase and before they knew it, Przybecki had scored again to make it 0:3 for the cheering fans. Michael Kraus was the one who broke the scoring ice for the TBV by making it 1:3 from the 7-meter spot. Still, by the 7-minute mark, the hosts had pulled away to 1:5; the TBV were simply not into the game yet. Carsten Lichtlein had started the game in goal but in the 9th minute, he once again had to pick up a ball behind him because his defenders had just scored on him twice. After Przybecki had increased the margin further to 2:7 with his fourth goal, Coach Volker Mudrow played his green card; at this point, 9:28 had elapsed. On attack, little to nothing had worked and on defence, the TSV attack could play unimpeded. During these first 10 minutes, nothing was to be seen any more of the confident and determined performance in Minden.

Hermann and Kraus reduced the lead to 5:8 (14.) by the middle of the first half. The TBV was now clearly more engaged in the goings-on. When Jens Bechtloff shortly thereafter scored his first goal since the metacarpal fracture he sustained in the Großwallstadt game to make it 6:8, TSV coach Frank Carstens laid his green card on the timekeeper's table. At this point, 15:10 had been played. When the score reached 7:8 (16.), it was clear that the TBV had finally come to play. Yet at first, Hannover clung to the slim lead. The TBV reduced the lead to one goal again and again but Hannover did not relinquish the lead. Shortly before halftime, Michael Kraus scored from the 7-meter spot to make it 13:15. With this disappointing two goal deficit, the teams headed for their dressing rooms.

Immediately after the intermission, the TBV had the chance to score first but Kraus failed this time to get the ball past the strong Nenad Puljezevic from the 7-meter spot. And so it was the home team that advanced, with Lehnhoff making it 13:16. Ten minutes after the restart of play, the TSV had only achieved a pair of goals. The scoreboard showed the unbelievable 15:17 score. Strobel (16:17, 41.) brought his team one goal closer but they still fell short of a tie; the TSV made it 16:18 and once again, the TBV had to try to make up a two-goal deficit. The referee team of Moles/Pittner then sent two Hannoverians off the court, one right after the other, and at least then did the TBV manage the first tie of the game, thanks to Mark Schmetz at 18:18 (45.). In the 47th minute with the score 19:19, Daniel Kubes got his third time penalty and had to stand on the sidelines and assess what his teammates had left to throw into the balance.

It was TBV goalie Martin Galia who supplied the initial spark. His strong string of saves set up the 20:19 score by Holger Glandorf (50.) and the 21:19 by Mark Schmetz (50.). Now it looked as though the TBV might still make it to the winner's podium but Przybecki equalised for Hannover at 21:21 (51.). The tailwind stemming from the late lead that the team had fought for so hard did not materialise and the TBV had to continue to struggle for every goal. And then the inevitable happened as the home team again took the lead at 21:22.

The TSV again got the upper hand and with a score of 23:25, the hosts held onto it. Schmetz made it 24:25 (57.) from the point but the TBV had still not delivered a sure and solid performance. Glia was the one who provided the next chance for a goal but Puljezevic was there once more to pull the rug out from under him. Lehnhoff on the outside held his nerve and scored to make it 24:26 and decide the outcome. The TBV had to acquiesce in the disgrace, which Hermann was still able to narrow to 25:26.

Opinions on the Game:

Volker Mudrow: Congratulations to Hannover-Burgdorf on their victory. I am naturally very disappointed because we have more potential than Hannover but Hannover took the floor tonight as more of a team. We were perhaps not in the right frame of mind at the outset. That can be seen in the way we simply did not use our obvious chances. In the first half there were, by my count, eight open chances that we did not take advantage of. Otherwise, we could have turned the game to our advantage before halftime. It stayed close until the end but we fell one goal short.

Frank Carstens: Thank you very much for your congratulations. I saw the game quite similarly. We deserved to win, without a doubt. For 60 minutes, we gave a very emotional, combative and passionate performance and that was exactly what we had planned to do. Our goal was to get the crowd on our side from the start and that is what we succeeded in doing, helped no doubt by the decision of the TBV to play a left-hander in the left back position. That helped to push my team just a little harder.