Swiss League play-offs: all hell breaks loose in Valais

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Heinz Ehlers and his EHC Visp are working on a surprise. The 1962 champions, who had to worry about making the play-offs until the end, are 2-0 ahead in the quarter-finals against qualifying high flyers and cup winners EHC Basel.

While the first victory was achieved in the classic “Mörtel Heinz” style and the Dane’s team won 2-1 in Basel despite shots from 16:40, the team from Upper Valais will have to change their tune on Friday. The favorite from the Rhine knee is 3-0 ahead after 28 minutes. Now the Visper Offensive is in high demand. And to the delight of most of the 3,000 fans in the beautiful Lonza Arena, the answer did not take long. Within less than eight minutes, Evgeni Chiraev equalized with two goals and Jorden Gähler made it 3-3. Shortly before the end, Dario Burgener completed the major turnaround for the team, which had been disappointing for much of the season but has gained significant stability of late.

Visper high with consequences?

Ajoie, Kloten and Rapperswil-Jona will probably face the Visper Hoch with an uneasy feeling. Besides Olten (1-1 in the series against Thurgau), the team from Upper Valais is the only team that is eligible for promotion. There would be only one league qualification if either of the two promotion aspirants becomes Swiss league champions. If both were to miss out in the quarter-finals, the play-out would even be canceled and the last two in the NL could also go on holiday early.

Doubtful mode or not: things go wrong on the ice in the Swiss League. Especially in Valais. Because all hell breaks loose on Friday, even 27 kilometers further in the valley. In Sierre, the home team is 3-1 behind the GCK Lions with five minutes to go. But then events come to a head. The Lower Valais equalized within 19 seconds with a double goal.

Goal despite a hand pass

But GCK coach Marco Bayer accepts his coach’s challenge after the 3:3. He saw that Lukas Lhotak’s goal was preceded by a handpass from Philip Ahlström directly in front of the Zurich bench. The referee team Julien Staudenmann/Franco Castelli looks on, but then gives the goal anyway – and a 2-minute penalty against the GCK Lions for the failed challenge.

What you need to know: In the Swiss league, referees only have access to the rear goal camera for video study! Which once again shows how amateurish the conditions will be in 2024 in the second highest Swiss league. “We went all-in and felt that this handpass should also be seen with the rear goal camera,” Bayer told Blick the next day.

Bottle flies, insults from the referee

And when Silvan Landolt also had to go before the penalty expired after shooting the puck over the plexiglass, Arnaud Montandon made it 4:3 for the Siders. The 3,333 fans in the dilapidated Graben hall panic. The GCK Lions also feel they were treated unfairly in the lead-up to this goal: they believe a Sierre player deflected the puck during Landolt’s release over the plexiglass, leading to the decisive penalty.

And for the angry guests it gets even worse: the GCK Lions receive a bench penalty because a player threw a bottle on the ice in frustration. With which Arnaud Montandon scored his second goal for the club, with Chris McSorley pulling the strings. After the 6:3 in the empty goal, Julian Mettler, who had served the bench penalty, also received a remaining exclusion because he informed the referees of his dissatisfaction with their performance. GCK Swede Victor Backman spoke afterwards on swissleague.tv about “questionable decisions”.

Coach Bayer is conciliatory

Meanwhile, coach Bayer does not want to complain about the referees the next day: “We played a top match for 55 minutes and then beat ourselves. The performance of the referees must be accepted.” His young team needs to learn from things like this. “We have to put the whole thing behind us and move on. We continue with game three on Sunday.” The spectacle series is 1:1 after the ZSC farm team won game one 7:5.

It was not the first time that the 1973 number two turned a match against the GCK Lions at home into extremis. During qualifying in November, the Valais were 2:5 behind until the 52nd minute and won 6:5.

Source : Blick