Hockey: Will HC Bienne end its season on March 1?

HC Bienne surprised everyone at the opening of the championship by playing the leading roles, despite an off-season marked by several major departures within its squad (Joren van Pottelberghe, Beat Forster, Yannick Rathgeb, Luca Hischier, Tino Kessler and Mike Künzle in particular ).

Since November, the Zealand team has, however, been stuck in a terrible negative spiral before recently finding the light again (2 victories in a row). The specter of a premature end to the year on March 1, on the evening of the 52nd round of the regular season, however, looms large at the Tissot Arena.

This hypothesis is debated by two journalists from matin.ch, in the series of French-speaking questions of 2025.

There was no need to worry about Biel on Tuesday, there is still no need a few days later. For the same reasons. Coach Martin Filander has put in place a defensive system that holds up perfectly, regardless of the number of injuries.

The numbers speak for themselves. The Zealanders have conceded only 80 goals in 35 outings. Only Zurich does better in the National League. They also owe these statistics to the brilliant Harri Säteri.

Is Biel dependent on the performance of its Finnish goalkeeper? Obviously. But that’s not a problem since he has never disappointed since his arrival at the Tissot Arena in 2022. Tuesday against Lugano, he was decisive and allowed his team to win a crucial match in the fight against the play-out.

This success has brought balm to the heart of the 2023 Swiss vice-champion. It will even create the necessary trigger to avoid problems at the end of the championship.

Because no, the Zealanders will not play the play-out against their neighbor Ajoulot. They will leave this difficult task to a rival. As in 2022, Biel will go on vacation on March 1, at the end of the regular exercise in a feeling mixing relief at having escaped and disappointment at having narrowly missed the play-offs.

No, the HC Bienne players will not be able to put away their skates and cane on the evening of March 1st. Not because the Zealanders will play for the title afterwards, but because they will appear in the unenviable 13th place in the rankings.

If Martin Filander’s men will be condemned to play a play-out of fear against their neighbor Ajoulot, it is because they have been plunged into a deep crisis of results since the beginning of November. An example by the numbers? During its last 16 outings, the HCB has only gleaned 17 small points. Impossible to escape one of the last two rows with such a mediocre pace, you will agree.

To get out of this bad situation, the Tissot Arena team, however, has few arguments to offer: it is, in fact, too dependent on the performance of its two Finnish jewels (goalkeeper Harri Säteri and top score Toni Rajala). Its squad also lacks talent and depth. A deficit which results in a chronic inability to shake the opposing nets (only 2.23 goals scored/match on average).

At this stage, only possible last minute arrivals seem to be able to save HC Bienne. Or a helping hand from a drifting HC Lugano, where his former coach Antti Törmänen now works.