Alain Reist: “From the start, I said that Lausanne was going to win the final”

Former Lausanne HC and ZSC Lions player, Alain Reist spoke to “blue Sport” a few hours before Act VII of the National League play-off final.

Lausanne HC is one victory away and perhaps a few hours away from a historic evening. If successful this Tuesday evening on the ZSC Lions ice in the “Finalissima” of the National League, the Vaudois club would win the first Swiss championship title in its 102 years of existence.

Having defended the Lausanne colors for six seasons (between 2004 and 2014), Alain Reist is convinced that the LHC can create a feat in Zurich. “It’s time to make history in Lausanne. It’s true that you don’t have many opportunities to play in a final in your career, especially at a club. I think Lausanne has every chance after the final we saw,” admitted the former defender, aged 44.

For someone who also spent a year freelancing with Zurich (2009/2010 season), the success of the Lake Geneva team is not the result of chance. “The people of Zurich were a little surprised by the level of Lausanne,” he explains.

Before detailing: “They won easily against Biel and Zug, two teams who were not necessarily playing physical at that point in the playoffs. They fell against a Lausanne team that was full of confidence and played physical. When you look on paper, there is not much to envy in Zurich, apart from the salaries. With its level of play, Lausanne deserves its place and also deserves this grand final this evening in Zurich.

“No one had believed it since the start of the playoffs”

For the native of Bienne, who had experienced promotion to League A with the LHC in 2013, seeing the latter evolve at such a level after a failed 2022/2023 exercise (11th in the ranking) was unexpected. “It’s incredible, we take every day as a bonus. Nobody had believed it since the start of the playoffs,” remarked Reist, who nevertheless had “a good feeling” going into the series.

“From the start, I told everyone that Lausanne was going to win the final. I was told that they would not pass against Davos and that it would be complicated against Fribourg. And there we arrive against Zurich, we are 3-3, there is one match left. I predicted 4-3 or 4-2 in the final, so my predictions are still good,” admitted Alain Reist. Will these then come true? Response from 8:00 p.m….