Bad news for Lausanne HC. Friday afternoon, the Vaud club announced that its Finnish striker Ahti Oksanen would miss between four and six weeks of competition and that its Swedish defender Lawrence Pilut was out for the entire current season.
Ahti Oksanen (31), who arrived at the reigning Swiss vice-champion during the off-season, suffered a “neck” injury during the international break. Last Saturday, the Nordic winger was the victim of a violent charge from behind during the game between Finland and the Czech Republic counting for the Karjala Cup.
After passing several exams in his country and then in Lausanne, No. 29 of the Lions learned of the medical diagnosis: he will be unavailable until around mid-December.
This is a hard blow for coach Geoff Ward because the Finn, aligned on the first Lausanne offensive line alongside his compatriot Antti Suomela and Damien Riat, had quickly found his feet at Malley. The Finn has, in fact, scored 15 points (including 5 goals) in 19 appearances in the championship.
Lawrence Pilut (28), who tore his Achilles tendon last June, suffered a new injury. The Scandinavian fullback, “well advanced in his return to play program” according to the press release, was injured in the lower body. He will have to undergo an operation (in Switzerland) synonymous with the end of the season.
No. 20 of the LHC, arriving on the banks of Lake Geneva in the summer of 2023 and a fundamental element in the brilliant performance of the Vaudois during the last financial year, will carry out its entire convalescence in Lausanne. The Swedish defender, at the end of his contract at the end of this championship, will therefore experience a blank season.
The LHC, provisional leader of the National League standings thanks to its success on Thursday against the ZSC Lions (2-0), travels this Friday evening (kick-off at 7:45 p.m.) to Zug. Without Ahti Oksanen or Lawrence Pilut, therefore.
