** Picture: Hannes Kramhoeller/World Sport Pics

Uhlenhorst Mülheim has won the first men’s Bundesliga League Cup following a 4-3 shoot-out win over Harvestehuder THC on Sunday in Krefeld. 

“It’s a nice first title of the season,” said HTCU coach Thilo Stralkowski. “We said that if we are play here in the competition, we want to play to win it.” 

The Mülheimers took the title without their Olympians, negotiating a line-up which saw them knock out TSV Mannheim 4-1 in the first round and then Berliner HC in the semi-finals in a shoot-out. HTHC had defeated Rot-Weiss Köln and Mannheimer HC on their route to the final.

In the final, Harvestehuder THC started on the front foot with Xaver Hasun giving keeper Lennart Küppers no chance. Mülheim pushed for the equaliser in the second quarter but Henrik Mertgens failed twice against the impressive Anton Brinckman while Robert Duckscheer put a stroke over the bar.

Mülheim continued to play well in the second half and got their reward when the ball rebounded off the post and Argentine Lucas Toscani was on hand to follow-up and make it 1-1.

Michael Körper’s corner was the closest to winning it in normal time and so it was shoot-out time once again for the two clubs who required that method to get to the decider.

And so, in the shoot-out, Duckscheer made the difference in the fifth round.