The ZSC Lions will have tried everything, in the den of the Lions of the LHC, they could not do anything. Lausanne beat its rival 2-0 and temporarily takes the lead in the standings.
There was a bit of nostalgia in the air this Thursday evening at the Vaudoise Aréna. Lausanne welcomed Zurich for the first time since the final. “There is a certain derby that is taking place” between the two teams, believes Lausanne goalkeeper Kevin Pasche. The atmosphere in the stands was in fact almost as warm as for a Lake Geneva derby.
But on the ice, the emotions of last season are a thing of the past. Looking at the composition of the teams, the Zurich residents even seemed to have a very short memory since they decided to leave their number 1 goalkeeper to rest. A response to Lausanne’s poor performance on Tuesday in the Champions Hockey League (0-5 defeat against GSHC)?
The Vaudois Lions in any case showed a completely different face. At kick-off, they were immediately the most aggressive and dangerous in front of goal.
Lausanne actually took the lead in the middle of the first third. In the cage, the Zurich goalkeeper could do nothing against David Sklenicka’s powerful shot. The puck went into the top corner. Damien Riat, who blocked the view of Robin Zumbühl, also had something to do with it (10th).
Moments later, Fabian Heldner found himself sandwiched between Zumbühl and Santtu Kinnunen. Michael Hügli took advantage of the scramble to push the puck deep (12th).
Michael Hügli was the smartest in this action. ©KEYSTONE/Jean-Christophe Bott
The audience gets excited
The remaining 48 minutes were intense. First of all on the side of Lausanne who had a really great start to the second third. For a good ten minutes, we counted on the fingers of one hand the number of times Zurich went into its offensive zone. Lausanne put the pressure on and tried some great combinations, unfortunately without being able to increase the score.
And suddenly, the Zurich Lions woke up, and they were the ones who dominated. Denis Malgin notably gave Kevin Pasche a hard time. But the Lausanne goalkeeper did not let himself be impressed and made some good saves which were celebrated as goals in the stands.
Real Lions duel between Malgin and Pasche. This time, it is the Lausanne resident who wins. ©KEYSTONE/Jean-Christophe Bott
Zurich will have tried until the end, even at 6 against 4, to get at least one goal. Without success. The LHC thus won 2-0 and temporarily took the lead in the ranking.
A confidence boost
Considering how the match went, the score could have been much heavier, on one side or the other. But one thing is certain: between Tuesday’s Champions League match and this one, it was day and night.
For Kevin Pasche, this type of situation is mainly mental work. The young goalkeeper wanted to show a reaction, it was done. How did he experience this match, especially with the intensity which increased a notch in the final minutes?
It was the reference match that Kevin Pasche needed to get off to a good start after the international break. “Tonight it was perfect, especially against Zurich,” says the goalkeeper. But then you have to find consistency and in recent weeks, I found that I was not consistent enough.”
Against the ZSC Lions, Kevin Pasche had to alternate between not having much to do and seeing his cage attacked. “It was ups and downs,” he comments. How do you manage this kind of match?
Lausanne takes the reins
With this victory, the LHC temporarily occupies first place in the National League standings. Did Théo Rochette, who grew up in the club, imagine finding himself in this situation when he played with the juniors?
There is therefore no question of resting on our laurels for the next matches. “It’s good to be first but now we have to stay that way because if we lose the next 7 games, we’re not much further ahead,” adds Théo Rochette.
Lausanne, with its 40 points, is only one step ahead of Zurich, which has played two games less. Davos is 3rd with 38 points. And Geoff Ward’s men have a busy schedule in the coming weeks. So, there are smiles in the locker room, but we have to try to stay focused.
This Friday, the Lions travel to Zug. For Geoff Ward, the difficulty now lies in managing victory. “Tonight, we showed a great response compared to Tuesday. Now we have to see how we will manage to get a great victory in Zug. If we are satisfied with this victory, tomorrow we will not have the same success. We therefore have to learn to manage the good and the bad moments to know what we must do when it is match time,” explains the coach.
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