The LHC was too strong for Zurich on Saturday evening.
freshfocus
In 102 years of history, Lausanne HC has never been so close to a first Swiss championship title. The Vaudois club, under enormous pressure at kick-off and obliged to win on Saturday evening, dominated the ZSC Lions (5-3) during act VI of the National League play-off final . Geoff Ward’s squad will therefore play a decisive seventh match in three days in Zurich (3-3 in the series).
To extend its dream, the LHC achieved a simply extraordinary second third. Fortunately, because the rest turned out to be much more complicated. The Lausanne team, as if possessed, unleashed themselves on a totally overwhelmed “Z”. She thus scored four goals in the space of twelve minutes, to increase the score from 1-0 to 5-0 in her favor and take a decisive advantage in this meeting which could have been the last of the season for the Lions Vaudois.
A trio of fire
The trio composed of Damien Riat (27th, 2-0; 39th, 5-0), Jason Fuchs (35th, 4-0) and Robin Kovacs (three assists) was in all the right places during this one-sided middle period , giving the impression that the slightest acceleration could turn into a goal. The second named was also deprived of another success (37th), during the enormous highlight in Lausanne for a slight obstruction on the goalkeeper Robin Zumbühl. This one had just taken over from the usual holder, stunned by the tornado that he had just suffered head-on.
The fourth row, definitely in great form in this final, also proved decisive during the enormous domination of the LHC. And in superb fashion, with Cody Almond (33rd, 3-0) at the conclusion of a triangulation initiated by Ronalds Kenins and relayed by Makai Holdener.
A tense end to the match
The Malley rink, until then noisy as it had rarely been, experienced an incredibly tense end to the game. In a totally unexpected way, it must be admitted. The fault was three goals conceded in nine minutes, signed Chris Baltisberger (40th, 5-1), Dean Kukan (43rd, 5-2) and Denis Malgin (49th, 5-3). Guilty laxity or prideful reaction from the ZSC Lions? Definitely a bit of both.
Lausanne, in great pain and totally dominated in the final straight, however held on. But the duel should not have dragged on too much. The main thing ended up being saved: the team led by Geoff Ward was granted the right to travel to Zurich one last time. It will be Tuesday evening, for a real “Finalissima”. With a first title at the end of sixty minutes (maybe more)?
Lausanne – Zurich 5-3 (1-0 4-1 0-2)
Vaudoise arena, 9,600 spectators (box offices closed).
Referees: MM. Lemelin, Hebeisen; Fuchs, Obwegeser.
Goals: 5th Suomela (5v4) 1-0, 27th Riat (Fuchs, Kovacs) 2-0, 33rd Almond (Holdener, Kenins) 3-0, 35th Fuchs (Kovacs, Riat) 4-0, 39th Riat (Kovacs, Pilut) 5 -0, 40th C. Baltisberger (Schäppi) 5-1, 43rd Kukan (Andrighetto) 5-2, 49th Malgin (Grant / 5c4) 5-3.
Lausanne: Hughes; Glauser, Djoos; Heldner, Frick; Pilut, Genazzi; Jelovac; Rochette, Suomela, Sekac; Riat, Fuchs, Kovacs; Bozon, Jäger, Raffl; Holdener, Almond, Kenins; Pedretti. Coach: Geoff Ward.
Zurich: Hrubec (35th Zumbühl); Trutmann, C. Marti; Lehtonen, Geering; Harrington, Kukan; P. Baltisberger; C. Baltisberger, Malgin, Andrighetto; Fröden, Grant, Hollenstein; Rohrer, Lammikko, Sigrist; Bodenmann, Baechler, Schäppi; Riedi. Coach: Marc Crawford.
Penalties: 3 x 2′ against Lausanne; 1 x 2′ against Zurich.
Notes: Lausanne without A. Marti, Perrenoud (injured), Haapala, Salomäki, Hügli, Thévoz, Bougro, Fuhrer, nor Méméteau (supernumerary). Zurich without Weber, Balcers (injured), nor Zehnder (extra). Zurich without goalkeeper from 58’11 to 60’00.
