La Quinzaine des Romands #6: mid-season review – rts.ch

Ajoie (14e/-)

The intermediate results of the Jurassiens cannot be satisfactory with a 14th place and 10 points behind 13th while the club could hope to get rid of the red lantern this season. The Bruntrutains are, however, undeniably doing better since the dismissal of Christian Wohlwend on October 21, with 1.3 points per game, (11th average over this period), compared to 0.3 previously. By maintaining such a pace, Ajoie would total 54 points at the end of the exercise, which would constitute his record in the elite and would surpass Kloten’s score last year (13th with 52 points).

The main satisfaction so far comes from Jerry Turkulainen, but, if the 26-year-old Finn is the best scorer in the league with 34 points in 28 matches, it is the entire HCA foreign legion which is having a season worthy of praise. . Conversely, the Swiss contingent particularly disappoints with a total of 40 points distributed among 15 players, including 8 by the only (and surprising) defender Arno Nussbaumer. The general situation of Ajoie nevertheless remains encouraging so far.

Biel (7th/-)

Seventh with 40 points and 6 units from the top-6, Bienne is, with Kloten, one of the good surprises of the season, despite a considerably rejuvenated and decimated squad (5 absent per match on average). Best defense in the championship at mid-term with 2.1 goals conceded per game, the Zealanders are also those who concede the least in numerical equality. The roles seem clearly defined within Martin Filander’s team, where the defenders are primarily concerned with defending, since only 13.1% of the goals scored were from the rearguard (14th in the NL) .

The injuries of certain executives, a real black spot this fall, have developed a remarkable collective which, however, rests heavily on the shoulders of one man: Harri Säteri. The Finnish goalkeeper displays excellent statistics (94.4% saves and 1.8 goals conceded per game), while he is the second goalkeeper who receives the most shots each evening (32.2). If he maintains this dazzling form until the end, the people of Bienne will be able to easily consider competing in the play-ins… or even better.

Friborg (9e/-1)

After a very complicated start to the year where they were only 13th with 1.2 points per game at the first international break, the Dragons then clearly recovered, ranking 6th (1.7) since mid-November. If their current 9th place is slightly misleading since they have more games played than their opponents, the statistics speak in favor of the Friborgs, who appear in the upper average of most of them. They notably have the best average of engagements won (53%) and the 4th box-play (82.5%).

The arrival of Linden Vey (8 points in 8 matches) was one of the pivotal moments of the fall, as was the departure of Sandro Schmid, regularly associated with the Canadian and author of one point per game since mid- november. Conversely, the signing of Yannick Rathgeb appears to be a fiasco for the moment, the former Bienne player only posting a measly 5 points to his credit and sometimes even finding himself redundant. With confidence seeming to have returned, Gottéron can legitimately hope to appear in the top 10 at the beginning of March.

Geneva (11th/-2)

The Eagles are struggling to assert their potential, without being completely beside the point as was sometimes the case last year. If the top-6 seems slightly out of reach (10 points behind), the Genevans are as close to 8th as to 13th place. Brilliant in special situations, with the best power-play (30.6%) and box-play (89.2%) in the league, the Garnets regained color as they found strength. players and have been averaging 1.5 points per game for 10 games.

The Servettians are carried by an exceptional Finnish quartet. Sakari Manninen (1.2 points per game), Markus Granlund (1.5) and Teemu Hartikainen (1.3) are all in the top 10 scorers, while Antti Raanta asserts himself as one of the very good NL goalkeepers with 2.2 goals conceded per game. The departure of the enigmatic Michael Spacek represents the flop of this (half) season. Their crazy schedule in January (17 matches in 32 days, CHL included) will complicate their task, but the Servettians will probably remain in the fight for the top-10 until the end.

Lausanne (3e/+1)

The Vaudois have so far shown two faces, since they were successively the 2nd best team in the League until the November break, before only being 10th in the second part of the year. With this 3rd place, the Lions can therefore be satisfied, especially as their place in the top-6 seems to be on track with a margin of 10 points on the bar. Like their neighbors at the end of the Lake, the power play constitutes a real reason for satisfaction, with 29.3% efficiency (2nd).

In the individual department, Théo Rochette reached a milestone with 19 points in 21 matches before his injury, still making him the club’s 3rd scorer despite 7 fewer matches. If he returns to the same level, he will easily exceed his total from last year (30 units). Among the (small) disappointments, the prolonged and repeated absence of Michael Raffl, who only played 18 minutes this season, was felt during the months of November and December, where Lausanne would have really needed his leadership. and his energy during a more difficult phase. All the lights are nevertheless green for the LHC.

Bastien Trottet

All figures are taken from the website of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation and of nlicedata.com.