The LHC maintains the pace within the top three of the National League. And this despite injuries which are piling up but which do not really seem to weaken the Lions.
Already deprived of Michael Raffl, Raphael Prassl (lower body), Ahti Oksanen (neck) and Lawrence Pilut (Achilles tendon, then lower body) in important positions, Lausanne had to compose this weekend without its second best counter, Théo Rochette (lower body). Hit in an elbow in Friborg on Friday (3-2 victory after), Andrea Glauser was also missed on Sunday during the victory against Langnau.
The glass is half full
Geoff Ward, the Lions coach, however, does not feel sorry for himself. “The most important team composition is the one on the ice,” says the Canadian technician. “There are players who have the opportunity to show what they are capable of and who are starting to gain confidence. It’s a good opportunity to deepen our squad at this time of the season.”
The LHC mentor prefers to see the glass half full, because the glitches of varying severity suffered by his players are, according to him, the fault of bad luck. “We cannot control these kinds of injuries. They are not muscle tears due to training overload. They are mainly impact injuries,” he says.
Priority to the rearguard
The fact that his team continues to thrive at the rate of two points per game in these circumstances is therefore gratifying. This can be explained in particular by an emphasis placed on the defensive base. “The defense must always be there for us, especially when the injuries pile up. We focused on that over the last two weeks when the infirmary started to fill up and we see that it works well” , appreciates Geoff Ward. Against Langnau, his men certainly showed some flaws in the third period, but remained very solid overall.
If the LHC does not have the best defense in the championship and loses certain matches by conceding too many goals (6-2 in Zug, 5-0 against Geneva in the Champions League, 7-2 in Bern before the break), it can without doubt to be satisfied with a current situation which was not guaranteed at the start of the season with the departure of Christian Djoos and the long-term absence of Lawrence Pilut. The two defensive pillars had greatly participated in the epic which took the Lions to Game 7 of the play-off final.
The replacement of Pilut
The two men were replaced by the Czech David Sklenicka and the American Gavin Bayreuther, who are having their first experience in Switzerland. Sunday, the second scored his second goal in the LHC jersey, the best of the match. “I’ve been trying lately to shoot the puck a little more. When you score goals like that, it gives you confidence for the next matches,” rejoices the defender in 122 NHL matches, who naturally needed to a few matches to adapt to the European playing surface. “In North America, my game had become simpler over time. Here, I find a bit of the way I played when I started,” he explains.
Injured in an ankle at the start of the 2023-24 season (with the Texas Stars, the Dallas Stars’ farm team), Gavin Bayreuther was also on the sidelines for many months. “Few teams wanted me this season. John Fust called me and told me a lot of promising things about the club. I did my research on the city of Lausanne and the ice rink. He’s a very beautiful place and I am happy to have made this decision”, he rejoices.
“I have my place at the LHC”
The 30-year-old American knows that he was hired to compensate for the injury of Lawrence Pilut, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during training in Sweden in June. “I felt really sorry for Lawrence. He was great to me and very supportive when I arrived,” he reveals. “I’m really grateful to him.”
Circumstances require Gavin Bayreuther to assert himself as one of the new pillars of the Lausanne defense. “I like to think that I have my place at the LHC and that I can help the team to win a title,” says the full-back. The confidence that emanates from the man as well as the Lions locker room will undoubtedly be necessary to repeat, or even surpass, the feat of the last exercise.
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
