SC Magdeburg Wins Again at Kolstad

German champion SC Magdeburg remains undefeated in the Champions League. They defeated Norwegian champion Kolstad 35–32 (15–15). Magdeburg’s top scorer was Philipp Weber with eleven goals. Even before the match, Magdeburg had already secured first place in Group F and a spot in the main round. On Wednesday, SCM will host Kriens-Lucerne, coached by Andy Schmid, for their final group match.

SCM Youngster Thielicke as Playmaker

Magnus Saugstrup was absent from SC Magdeburg for personal reasons, so both young players, Malte Elze and Tim Thielicke, saw playing time. Given the standings, the SCM rested a few players—such as Felix Claar and Gisli Kristjansson—and started with Thielicke and Philipp Weber. However, the SCM struggled to finish and found themselves trailing early (3–6, 9th minute). 

Magdeburg worked its way into the game but repeatedly squandered scoring opportunities, finally tying the score for the first time after twenty minutes. Kolstad countered immediately, but since the Norwegians were also sloppy in front of the net, Magdeburg went into halftime tied. 

In the second half, Magdeburg took its first lead of the game with a goal by Oskar Vind (19:18/35.) and immediately extended it to three goals. Kolstad coach Christian Berge called a timeout, but the SCM improved its shooting accuracy and maintained the lead. A few missed shots prevented an even wider lead, but the game was decided at the latest when Weber scored his eleventh goal to make it 32:26 (54th minute).