HC Ajoie smiles again in front of his audience. At the end of a successful meeting and a solid collective performance, the Jura team beat Langnau 1-0 on Tuesday evening in Porrentruy. The only goal of the game was scored by Jonathan Hazen shortly before mid-match. If the HCA did not manage to make the break, it held on and the excellent Benjamin Conz managed to shut out for the second time in three National Ice Hockey League matches. In the standings, HCA is nine points behind penultimate Lugano, which it will challenge on Sunday, the day after a trip to Bern.
Two diligent defenses
This season, Langnau impresses with his solidity. Third best defense in the championship, the Emmental team relies on two high-quality Finnish defenders and a goalkeeper in a state of grace this season. And as usual, Stéphane Charlin (95.3% save before this match) shone in Porrentruy, multiplying the decisive saves. The last bastion of the Tigres was only beaten once by Jonathan Hazen, well served by Marco Pedretti shortly before the half-hour mark. The Quebecer had failed in one on one 13 minutes earlier against the best goalkeeper in the championship . As is often said, a good goalkeeper also benefits from a certain success. Stéphane Charlin will not say the opposite, he who saw two shots from Philip-Michaël Devos hit the uprights in the first period. The HCA does not have to be ashamed of this defensive solidity, because it also showed itself to its advantage. Well organized, the Ajoulote team exuded serenity in front of the imperial Benjamin Conz who signed his second shutout in five days. Ajoie’s box-play lasted for around ten minutes under the Emmental onslaught.
“We’re going to have to be a little more killer in front of the cage”
If the HCA delivered a great collective performance, it may regret – like Sunday – not having killed the match, despite a good number of clear chances: “We did not learn (…) but this evening we held on and that’s the most important thing,” noted striker Kevin Bozon, adding that the Ajoulots will have to be “a little more killer in front of the cage” in the future to knock out their opponents more quickly. Because the Raiffeisen Arena shook at the very end of the match when Julius Nättinen missed the empty cage and Langnau threw his last strength into the battle… /mle
Swiss
