Revenge will wait for Lausanne HC. The Vaudois team, back on Saturday evening at the Swiss Life Arena in Zurich for the first time since April 30 and its cruel defeat during the finalissima of the last National League play-offs, lost in a big way against to the ZSC Lions (6-3), the reigning Swiss champions. A dry setback, which also puts an end to the series of four consecutive successes for Geoff Ward’s men.
Would the turn of events have been different if Théo Rochette, starting alone behind the Zurich defense, had managed to deceive the excellent Simon Hrubec and open the score (9th)? Difficult to be convinced, as the Alemannic armada once again displayed insolent efficiency in front of the cage defended by Kevin Pasche… who ended up giving way to Antoine Keller at the start of the last third, while the score was already 4-0 for the “Z”.
Shortly before the quarter of an hour of play, it was Willy Riedi (13th, 1-0) who opened the scoring following a guilty loss of a puck by Lauri Pajuniemi in a dangerous area. Then Sven Andrighetto (19th, 2-0), receiving a caviar from top scorer Dean Kukan, did not miss the opportunity to make the break. With a little more success, the Zurich residents could even have reached the locker room with a three-point lead, but Juho Lammikko’s try crossed the goal line a few moments after the siren (20th).
This triple advantage on the scoreboard ended up falling mid-match, thanks to an unfortunate deflection of Lukas Frick’s skate into his own net. A goal finally awarded to Mikko Lehtonen (31st, 3-0). Almost immediately, Jesper Fröden (38th, 4-0), who had hurt the LHC terribly during act VII of the play-off final, had definitively killed all suspense in this game.
Finally, the only lights in the dark evening of the Vaudois Lions came from the canes of Nathan Vouardoux (46th, 5-1) and Matthias Mémeteau (6-2), who both scored their first goal of the year in the last twenty minutes of the match. Théo Rochette (58th, 6-3) made the score look less severe.
Suddenly falling back to earth, Lausanne has a few days ahead to try to regain its senses before the arrival, Wednesday evening at the Vaudoise Arena, of the Norwegian Dragons of Storhamar as part of the Champions League.
Zurich – Lausanne 6-3 (2-0 2-0 2-3)
Swiss Life Arena, 10,599 spectators. Arbitres: MM. Kaukokari, Mollard; Stalder, Schlegel.
Buts: 13e Riedi (Sigrist) 1-0, 19e Andrighetto (Kukan) 2-0, 31e Lehtonen (Lammikko) 3-0, 38e Fröden (Weber) 4-0, 43e Kinnunen (C. Baltisberger) 5-0, 46e Vouardoux ( Fuchs) 5-1, 49e Riedi (Sigrist) 6-1, 50e Mémeteau (Holdener, Vouardoux) 6-2, 58e Rochette (Fuchs / 5c4) 6-3.
Zurich: Hrubec; Kinnunen, C. Marti; Lehtonen, Geering; Weber, Kukan; Bünzli; Fröden, Lammikko, Baechler; Andrighetto, Malgin, Balcers; Rohrer, Henry, Zehnder; C. Baltisberger, Sigrist, Riedi; Count. Entrepreneur: Marc Crawford.
Lausanne: Pasche (41e Keller); Glauser, Bayreuther; Sklenicka, A. Marti; Vouardoux, Frick; Fiddler; Riat, Suomela, Oksanen; Pajuniemi, Rochette, Fox; Hügli, Jäger, Bozon; Holdener, Bougro, Genazzi; Mémeteau. Entrepreneur: Geoff Ward.
Penalties: 4 x 2′ against Zurich; 2 x 2′ against Lausanne.
Notes: Zurich sans Hollenstein (injured), Trutmann, Grant (supernumeraries), Ustinkov, Schwendeler, Grüter, Kärki, Blaser, or Truog (Swiss League). Lausanne without Heldner, Pilut, Kuokkanen, Prassl, Raffl (injured), Fatton, or Kenins (Swiss League).
