The game of the week in Germany lived up to its billing as the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions edged the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 24-21 on a last second field goal in front of 3,181 spectators at Eintracht Stadium in Braunschweig Saturday.
These two teams had battled to a 10-10 tie a month ago and the intensity in this game was no different.
Tobias Goebel kicked the game-winning 26 yard field goal with no time left on the clock. Grant Enders threw one touchdown pass for the Lions and Evan Landi threw another while David McCants scored on a three yard run.
Kiel quarterback Logan Schrader threw touchdown passes to Xavier Mitchell, Paul Häberlein and Chris McClendon.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring after defensive end Joseph Lebeau forced a Grant Enders fumble at the Lions 20 yard line. Xavier Mitchell caught a seven yard touchdown pass from Schrader and Kiel took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Kiel defensive end Joseph LeBeau here sacking Lions QB Grant Enders Photo: Michael Zelter
Neither team could gain any momentum after that as both defenses were playing well. Finally, late in the second quarter Enders connected with receiver Tissi Robinson for a 24 yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.
The Hurricanes regained the lead in the third quarter with Schrader finding Häberlein from 17 yards out to put Kiel up 14-7. But with Enders out with an injury, Evan Landi stepped in at quarterback for the Lions, which he had done well in 2015, and threw a 24 yard pass to Christian Bollmann to tie the game again, 14-14.
Late in the third quarter Robinson, also playing defense for Braunschweig, picked off Schrader and running back Chris Smith found a seam on the next series scampering 40 yards to the Kiel three yard line. David McCants made no mistake carrying the ball in for the go-ahead touchdown giving the Lions a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Kiel wasted no time responding though as running back Chris McClendon took a screen pass from Schrader 60 yards to even the score at 21-21. The Hurricanes forced a turnover of their own as defensive back Falk Horn picked off Landi but the offense could not move the ball and the Hurricanes were forced to punt from their own end zone.
This gave the Lions excellent field position and Landi maneuvered his team into field goal range with Goebel splitting the uprights to give Braunschweig the crucial win.
With this victory, the Lions solidified their second place in the tight German North standings behind the Berlin Rebels. Kiel remains in fourth place with the Dresden Monarchs in third.