View source for 2020–21 DEL2 season

{{Infobox sports season
| title            = 2020–21 DEL2 season
| league           = [[DEL2]]
| sport            = Ice Hockey
| logo             = 
| pixels           = 
| caption          =
| color            = #a01720
| color_text       = white
| duration         = 6 November 2020 – 22 May 2021
| no_of_teams      = 14
| no_of_games      = 364 (52 per team)
| attendance       = 
| TV               = Sprade TV <br> eoTV
| season           = Regular season
| season_champs    = [[EC Kassel Huskies]]
| top_scorer       = Marco Pfleger ([[EC Bad Tölz|Tölzen Löwen]])
| top_scorer_link  = 
| relegate         = No relegation <br> (relegation suspended for season)
| relegate_to      = [[Oberliga (ice hockey)|Oberliga]]
| finals           = Playoffs
| finals_link      =
| finals_champ     = [[Bietigheim Steelers]]
| finals_MVP = Norman Hauner ([[Bietigheim Steelers|Steelers]])
| finals_MVP_link  =
| seasonslist      = DEL2 seasons
| seasonslistnames = DEL2
| prevseason_link  = 2019–20 DEL2 season
| prevseason_year  = 2019–20
| nextseason_link  = 2021–22 DEL2 season
| nextseason_year  = 2021–22
}}

The '''2020–21 DEL2 season''' was the eighth season since the founding of the [[DEL2]], the second tier of German [[ice hockey]], set below the [[Deutsche Eishockey Liga]] (DEL). The season began on a delayed start date of 6 November 2020 after being rescheduled from 2 October 2020,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.del-2.org/nachrichten/del2/5332-del2_gezwungen_saisonstart_nochmals_zu_verschieben/ | title=DEL2 gezwungen Saisonstart nochmals zu verschieben | publisher=[[DEL2]] | date=14 August 2020 | accessdate=7 February 2021 | language=German | trans-title=DEL2 forced to postpone the start of the season again }}</ref> and concluded with the end of the playoffs on 22 May 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, DEL2 along with DEL and [[Deutscher Eishockey Bund|DEB]] agreed to a set of health rules and guidelines to ensure a safe and consistent work environment for everyone involved with hockey in Germany.<ref name="HEALTHRULES2021">{{cite web | url=https://www.deb-online.de/2020/07/16/task-force-eishockey-praesentiert-umfassendes-hygiene-und-zuschauerkonzept/ | title=Task Force Eishockey präsentiert umfassendes Hygiene- und Zuschauerkonzept | publisher=[[Deutscher Eishockey Bund]] | date=16 July 2020 | accessdate=7 February 2021 | language=German | trans-title=Task Force Ice Hockey presents a comprehensive hygiene and spectator concept }}</ref> Fans were excluded from attending matches.<ref name="HEALTHRULES2021"/> The DEL2 board agreed to suspend relegation to the [[Oberliga (ice hockey)|Oberliga]] for the season, resulting in no relegation play-offs being contested.<ref name="NOREL">{{cite web | url=https://www.del-2.org/nachrichten/del2/5081-del2_beendet_saison_vorzeitig/ | title=DEL2 beendet Saison vorzeitig | publisher=[[DEL2]] | date=10 March 2020 | accessdate=7 February 2021 | language=German | trans-title=DEL2 ends season prematurely }}</ref> The season also marked the first time the league implemented promotion to DEL.<ref name="DELPROMO">{{cite web | url=https://www.penny-del.org/news/penny-del-und-del2-einigen-sich-ueber-auf-und-abstieg-fuer-die-saison-2021-22/11737 | title=PENNY DEL und DEL2 einigen sich über Auf- und Abstieg für die Saison 2021/22 | publisher=[[Deutsche Eishockey Liga]] | date=23 October 2020 | accessdate=7 February 2021 | language=German | trans-title=PENNY DEL and DEL2 agree on promotion and relegation for the 2021/22 season }}</ref> 

==Format==

Fourteen teams competed in the 2019–20 DEL2 regular season that ran from 6 November 2020 to 11 April 2021. No team was promoted or relegated to [[Oberliga (ice hockey)|Oberliga]]. Each team played each other twice in the regular season, home and away, for a total of 52 matches each. The top eight teams qualified for the championship playoffs, played in a best of five format.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.del-2.org/spielmodus/ | title= Spielmodus Saison 2020/2021 | publisher= www.del-2.org | first= | last= | date= | accessdate= 8 February 2021 | language=German | trans-title=Game mode for the 2020/2021 season }}</ref>

For the first time in DEL2 history, sporting promotion to [[Deutsche Eishockey Liga|DEL]] was introduced. Relegation from DEL to DEL2 was suspended for the season. Financial account examination was an additional requirement for the DEL2 champion to obtrain a DEL licence to secure promotion. [[Löwen Frankfurt]], [[EC Kassel Huskies]] and [[Bietigheim Steelers]] all applied for their financial accounts to be examined.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.grizzlys.de/news_1335.html | title=Grizzlys geben Lizenzunterlagen ab | publisher=[[Grizzlys Wolfsburg]] | date=25 May 2020 | accessdate=8 February 2021 | language=German | trans-title=Grizzlys hand in license documents }}</ref>

==Regular season==
{| class="wikitable"
!<abbr>Pos</abbr>
!Team
!<abbr>Pld</abbr>
!<abbr>W</abbr>
!<abbr>OTW</abbr>
!<abbr>OTL</abbr>
!<abbr>L</abbr>
!<abbr>GF</abbr>
!<abbr>GA</abbr>
!<abbr>GD</abbr>
!<abbr>Pts</abbr>
!Qualification or relegation
|-
|1
!EC Kassel Huskies
|49
|32
|6
|4
|7
|210
|108
| +102
|112
| rowspan="8" |2021 DEL2 Championship Playoffs
|-
|2
!Tölzer Löwen
|50
|28
|1
|6
|15
|210
|153
| +57
|92
|-
|3
!EHC Freiburg
|49
|23
|8
|4
|14
|177
|149
| +28
|89
|-
|4
!Bietigheim Steelers
|49
|26
|4
|3
|16
|183
|165
| +18
|89
|-
|5
!Löwen Frankfurt
|49
|22
|8
|5
|14
|158
|141
| +17
|87
|-
|6
!ESV Kaufbeuren
|50
|22
|6
|2
|20
|181
|187
|−6
|80
|-
|7
!Ravensburg Towerstars
|50
|20
|2
|8
|20
|155
|161
|−6
|72
|-
|8
!Heilbronner Falken
|49
|20
|3
|2
|24
|173
|175
|−2
|68
|-
|9
!Eispiraten Crimmitschau
|49
|17
|6
|3
|23
|156
|166
|−10
|66
| rowspan="6" |
|-
|10
!EV Landshut
|50
|15
|4
|7
|24
|162
|191
|−29
|60
|-
|11
!EC Bad Nauheim
|49
|16
|4
|4
|25
|156
|187
|−31
|60
|-
|12
!Lausitzer Füchse
|50
|15
|3
|7
|25
|141
|175
|−34
|58
|-
|13
!Dresdner Eislöwen
|49
|12
|7
|6
|24
|140
|184
|−44
|56
|-
|14
!Bayreuth Tigers
|50
|12
|4
|5
|29
|145
|205
|−60
|49
|}

==Playoffs==

Due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, the relegation play-offs were suspended for the season.<ref name="NOREL"/> The championship play-offs saw the DEL2 champion qualify for promotion to DEL for the first time, as long as the winning team also met financial requirements to obtain a DEL licence.<ref name="DELPROMO"/>

===Championship===
The championship playoffs reference:<ref>{{cite web |title=DEL2 Statistik  Spielpläne - Archiv der DEL2 |url=https://www.del-2.org/liga/archiv/121/spielplan/ |website=www.del-2.org |accessdate=18 March 2020}}</ref>

The championship playoffs ran from 22 April 2021 to 22 May 2021. The top eight teams from the regular season qualified and played best-of-five series. Teams were reseeded following the quarter-finals, which meant that Ravensburg, the only lower seed to advance, had to face top seed Kassel in the semi-finals. In the finals, Bietigheim came back from two games down to win the series and the DEL2 championship, 3 games to 2. 

{{8TeamBracket
| RD1-seed1= 1
| RD1-team1= '''[[EC Kassel Huskies]]'''
| RD1-score1= '''3'''
| RD1-seed2= 8
| RD1-team2= [[Heilbronner Falken]]
| RD1-score2= 0
| RD1-seed3= 2
| RD1-team3= [[EC Bad Tölz|Tölzer Löwen]]
| RD1-score3= 1
| RD1-seed4= 7
| RD1-team4= '''[[Ravensburg Towerstars]]'''
| RD1-score4= '''3'''
| RD1-seed5= 3
| RD1-team5= '''[[EHC Freiburg]]'''
| RD1-score5= '''3'''
| RD1-seed6= 6
| RD1-team6= [[ESV Kaufbeuren]]
| RD1-score6= 2
| RD1-seed7= 4
| RD1-team7= '''[[Bietigheim Steelers]]'''
| RD1-score7= '''3'''
| RD1-seed8= 5
| RD1-team8= [[Löwen Frankfurt]]
| RD1-score8= 2
| RD2-seed1= 1
| RD2-team1= '''[[EC Kassel Huskies]]'''
| RD2-score1= '''3'''
| RD2-seed2= 7
| RD2-team2= [[Ravensburg Towerstars]]
| RD2-score2= 1
| RD2-seed3= 3
| RD2-team3= [[EHC Freiburg]]
| RD2-score3= 2
| RD2-seed4= 4
| RD2-team4= '''[[Bietigheim Steelers]]'''
| RD2-score4= '''3'''
| RD3-seed1= 1
| RD3-team1= [[EC Kassel Huskies]]
| RD3-score1= 2
| RD3-seed2= 4
| RD3-team2= '''[[Bietigheim Steelers]]'''
| RD3-score2= '''3'''
}}
<small>Note: All numbers represent series results, not a match score</small>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.del-2.org/ Official website]
* [https://www.facebook.com/DEL.2.org/ Official Facebook]
* [https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/del2 Elite Prospects home]

{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:2021 in ice hockey]]