Jan Dorthe is the lighthouse in the gray Fribourg.
Claudio De Capitani/freshfocus
The disaster scenario was narrowly avoided by Fribourg-Gottéron on Saturday evening at the BCF Arena. The Dragons, plunged into a deep sporting crisis, had to work hard to beat Ambri (4-3), despite three lengths ahead at the end of the first twenty minutes.
Terribly feverish, Pat Emond’s men nevertheless managed to break through thanks to a saving success from their captain Julien Sprunger in the 49th minute. A success, only the third of the season on the Friborg side, greeted with enormous relief on the banks of the Sarine.
“We no longer had a choice: we needed these three points,” admits Jan Dorthe. We made life a little complicated, but I think we can keep the most important thing, namely the victory. Now we will have to continue this momentum and continue to gain points.
“A lot of emotion, sometimes maybe too much”
If they intend to trigger a positive series, the Dragons will have to evolve in a much more disciplined manner than against the Ticino. Because the ten minor penalties received almost cost them the match.
“There was a lot of emotion, sometimes maybe a little too much,” admits Pat Emond. We also conceded some bad penalties, which gave Ambri a chance to get back into the game. We know that we are a little fragile at the moment, but the guys knew how to stay focused. They want to get out of it and they reacted very well.”
The patient Gottéron, however, is still very ill, as evidenced by the last forty minutes of the meeting. These were thus riddled with technical inaccuracies and an overall absence of serenity.
“We must now align our successes and above all not be satisfied with just one victory,” warns the Quebec coach. The group wants to get out of this and they demonstrated it this evening (editor’s note: Saturday). It’s up to us to make sure we perform well both in the CHL, in another environment, and next weekend in the championship.”
Still thirteenth in the National League with eleven units collected in as many outings, the Dragons will have to confirm against the Germans from Straubing, Tuesday evening in the Champions League, then three days later on the ice of Zug.
Meetings that Jan Dorthe and his teammates intend to approach with saliva on their lips. “All matches are now important,” underlines the young 18-year-old striker, one of the rare satisfactions on the Friborg side of this calamitous start to the year.
Dorthe escapes criticism
The No. 93 of the HCFG, trained at the club, has little to reproach himself for: he had an excellent week on a personal level, scoring a hat-trick against Eisbären Berlin in the European Cup, then by scoring his very first success in the elite against Ambri.
“I’ve been waiting for this goal for a while and it makes me very happy,” he smiles. But it is victory that takes precedence. On a personal level, I think I can be satisfied with my start to the season. I worked hard to be trusted and lined up alongside very good players. It makes me want to bring even more offensively.”
Fribourg-Gottéron will really need this youthful lightness if it intends to achieve a lasting recovery. Because the road to emerging from the crisis looks terribly long.
