Barring an improbable turnaround, Genève-Servette will not win a second consecutive Champions Hockey League. At the end of a horrible performance on Wednesday, he was humiliated by the ZSC Lions (1-6) during the semi-final first leg.
Did Eagles supporters sense such a rout coming? The Vernets ice rink was filled with only 3,781 spectators. The absentees had flair since the Zurich residents, also in difficulty in the championship, opened the scoring after 78 seconds through Yannick Zehnder (2nd, 0-1).
The men of the Treille/Franzen duo reacted, but Markus Granlund’s equalizer was canceled, after a coach challenge from the Zurich staff, for offside. The Lions showed their cold realism a minute later by doubling the lead through Nicolas Baechler (11th, 0-2). At that moment, the Garnets were poorly paid and there was hope of a return.
He was swept away as soon as he returned from the locker room and Antti Raanta’s blunder on a shot from behind the cage by Mikko Lehtonen (22nd, 0-3). Behind, the GSHC sank and left the talented Zurich attackers who did not ask for so much. Rudolf Balcers (28th, 0-4; 31st, 0-5) twice and Derek Grant (36th, 0-6) gave this duel the appearance of a tennis match.
Robert Mayer, who came on after the fourth goal, tried to warm up the crowd so that they would revive his team. Faced with the debacle unfolding before their eyes, fans preferred to celebrate imaginary successes.
Those who remained in the enclosure were still entitled to a reduction in the score in the third period thanks to young Eric Schneller (49th, 1-6).
The return match will be held on Tuesday in Zurich. Before that, Genève-Servette will host Kloten on Friday and travel to Rapperswil on Saturday. With a new coach behind the bench?
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GE Servette – Zurich 1-6 (0-2 0-4 1-0)
Les Vernets, 3781 spectators. Arbitres: MM. Schrader (All), Jerabek (Tch), Urfer, Stalder.
Buts: 2e Zehnder (Lammikko, Frödén) 0-1, 11e Baechler (Kärki, Kukan) 0-2, 22e Lehtonen (Lammikko, Frödén) 0-3, 28e Balcers (Malgin, Andrighetto / 5c4) 0-4, 31e Balcers (Grant, Rohrer) 0-5, 36e Grant (Andrighetto, Balcers / 5c4) 0-6, 49e Schneller (Bertaggia, Jacquemet) 1-6.
GE Servette: Raanta (28e Mayer); Karrer, Lennström; Vatanen, Chanton; Schneller, Bern; Jacquemet, Le Coultre; Hartikainen, Manninen, Granlund; Praplan, Pouliot, Timashov; Bertaggia, Jooris, Miranda; Völlmin, Richard, Loosli. Entraîneurs: Yorick Treille et Rikard Franzen.
Zurich: Hrubec; Kukan, Geering; Weber, Marti; Kinnunen, Lehtonen; Trutmann; Sigrist, Malgin, Andrighetto; Frödén, Lammikko, Zehnder; Rohrer, Grant, Balcers; Baltisberger, Kärki, Baechler; Olsson. Coach: Marco Bayer.
Penalties: 7 x 2′ against GE Servette + 1 x 5′ and match penalty (Miranda); 3 x 2′ against Zurich.
Notes: GE Servette without Descloux, Hischier, Rod (injured), Cavalleri (supernumerary). Shooting on the uprights: 15th Le Coultre, 24th Loosli.
