Lausanne HC and Genève-Servette paid tribute to Paul-André Cadieux, who died on Monday at the age of 77, by giving him a minute of applause on the sidelines of the Lake Geneva derby at the Vaudoise arena. Despite the mourning, Jan Cadieux, son of the former player and legendary coach, held his place on the Genève-Servette bench for this first match of the new season.
After a first third of observation, the Lake Geneva derby gained in intensity from the second period, when the clashes and scuffles became more frequent. The Vaud Lions, who had gained momentum from the middle of the match, were the first to draw.
Damien Riat and Andrea Glauser got Théo Rochette off the mark, who beat GSHC goalkeeper Robert Mayer with a clever cross shot at mid-height at the end of a well-executed counter-attack (35th, 1-0). Coach Geoff Ward’s players, who were on better form than the Genevans and were much more threatening offensively, then gradually took over. GSHC only rarely put Lions goalkeeper Kevin Pasche in difficulty until Teemu Hartikainen took matters into his own hands (55th, 1-1). However, the parity was very fragile: Théo Rochette, the man of the match, beat Robert Mayer for the second time, this time alone and in style (57th, 2-1), 137 seconds after the Geneva goal.
The rest of the Geneva-Servette program, narrowly beaten in Lausanne on Tuesday (2-1), is particularly tough. The Eagles will now play seven additional away matches due to renovation work at Vernets. Next stop for the GSHC: Davos this Saturday. The LHC will play its next match on Friday in Porrentruy against HC Ajoie.
