Opponents Davos & Co. already breathing down their necks: is SCB getting nervous now?

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All you can do is rub your hands. The situation in the battle for 6th place comes to a head. Suspense until the end. However, for players and coaches under stress, this can be a little less refreshing. “Yes, yes,” agrees SCB coach Jussi Tapola (49) and shows his teeth while laughing. “But everyone must be aware that this is a victory for the league. But our focus has to be on how we play and how we get better.”

His team has lost a good starting position with four defeats in a row and came away empty-handed in the “12-points” double round against Lugano. Meanwhile, the competition has picked up pace: Lugano is over, champions Servette are only behind SCB thanks to their worse record in direct matches and Davos have scored points in their last nine games. Before today’s direct match in Bern (live in the stream on Blick), Holden’s team is only three points behind, with two games less. Behind them, Biel is picking up speed (5 wins in the last 6 games).

During yesterday’s SCB training it was noticeable that things were getting on track. After the team meeting, there is shouting from the locker room. The mood and energy levels on the ice are high. The players push each other. Above all, Tristan Scherwey. Tapola also loudly encourages his team. And when he speaks, everyone listens attentively.

Pokka, Baumgartner and Lehmann return

Do you feel like things are entering the crunchy phase? “Yes, absolutely,” says striker Joël Vermin (31). “The pressure on all teams is increasing. Everyone is making the final push and wants to get into the top 6.”

Is the SCB getting nervous now? “I wouldn’t necessarily say I was nervous. But we are of course aware of how tight everything is and what we have to do now,” says German top scorer Dominik Kahun (28). “Sometimes it’s better that we have all our little playoffs.” And Vermin says: “I would rather call it positive nervousness, that might be what it takes to get another two to three percent more out of it.” And Kahun emphasizes: “We have our destiny in our own hands.”

While the sporting directors of other teams quickly become restless when the going gets tough, Andrew Ebbett beams about the crucial moment: “I like it.”

Pokka, Lehmann and Baumgartner, who were recently injured, will return to the team on time today. And Reideborn, who has been slacking off lately, finally gets a break in goal. Wüthrich is playing, Tapola announced. Maurer is currently injured and has to pass.

Source : Blick