Relegation battle as an elixir of life for the Tigers

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Harri Pesonen was close to despair. The Tigers captain failed again due to Ajoie goalie Tim Wolf. Midnight had already passed. But the Finn stayed on the trigger and looked up for a long time. He then surprised Wolf with a shot from a tight angle. Realizing the puck was actually in goal, Pesonen ran off ecstatically. It was 12:14 and the 94th minute of an epic fight that could hardly be surpassed in terms of drama in a fantastic atmosphere.

It was also a clear plea for a competition with relegation. Until the Langnauer reached the goal, they, their fans and people had to suffer a lot. Even an Olympic champion and two-time world champion had a hard time in the relegation battle. The 34-year-old had lost any lightness in the final. In the six games against Ajoie, Pesonen only recorded two goals and no assists.

The relegation battle is no sinecure. But in Langnau this year, after two seasons in which relegation was avoided and the performance culture was running smoothly, they saw how important it is for teams that cannot compete for the title to compete for the sausage.

Three goals conceded within 136 seconds

Under sporting director Pascal Müller and coach Thierry Paterlini, the club made a huge step in the first year. The Tigers are competitive again. And after dropping to 13th with three laps to go, they’ve been through a lot. After two wins, they had to accept the equalizer in the series against Ajoie. And on Thursday they looked more dead than alive before coming from a 2-0 deficit in the closing stages to win in extra time.

The near-death experience made the Langnauer stronger. Otherwise, they could not have tolerated the slump with three goals conceded within 136 seconds from 2: 1 to 2: 4 on Saturday night.

That it was Pesonen who scored the redeeming goal to stay in the league rounds it all off. Two years ago, the Finn emphatically spoke out in favor of relegation: “It is important that there is the possibility of relegation in Switzerland again in the future. Everyone needs that kick.” This element is missing in his homeland. Teams with no playoff prospects sell their stars. That is the only reason why the Langnauer were able to sign a viable replacement for the injured Marc Michaelis in Axel Holmström.

While the Tigers are on their hard-earned vacation, Ajoie awaits the next hellish series from Thursday: the league qualification against the Swiss national champion and arch-rival La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Source : Blick