ZSC Lions overrun Zug

Playoff semifinals

EV Zug - ZSC Lions 1:7

The first match in this playoff series ended in a disaster for regular season winners EV Zug who never found into the game. Instead it was Zürich that humiliated their opponents with a lot of self-confidence after their first-round win against record champions Davos. A hard pass by Domenico Pittis found Thibaut Monnet who only needed to redirect the puck into the right corner to give Zürich the early lead. The reaction came only two minutes later when Björn Christen scored a beautiful wrap-around goal by jumping around the goalie to tie the match. The decision came already in the second period when the ZSC Lions scored three times within a 68 second span. Monnet with his second from a short distance into the right bottom corner, Luca Cunti and Cyrill Bühler from center positions made it 1-4 after 26 minutes. Still the disaster had not ended for Zug as Domenico Pittis extended the guest's lead around "half time" with a one-timer when left alone in front of Zug's goalie. Two goals by Patrik Bärtschi in the third period made it even 7-1.  

ZSC Lions lead series 1-0

Fribourg-Gottéron - SC Bern 2:4

Also in this series the guests won the first game. The game couldn't have started much better for Fribourg as Andrey Bykov brought them in front after only 1:28 were played. A backhander from Byron Ritchie in the 10th minute tied the game, which now was open again. In the second Ivo Rüthemann and Jean-Pierre Dumont even made it 3-1 for Bern. Especially the goal by Dumont was a nice work of the whole team that only needed a few passes to get in front of Fribourg's goal and then Dumont fired the puck into the right corner. When Bern's goalie couldn't get the puck away it was Tristan Vauclair who cut the lead to just one with only a minute left in the middle period by hitting the puck that was still in the air. In the last 20 minutes the spectators saw a close game nobody wanted to lose but in the end it was Ivo Rüthemann who used a shot into the empty net to decided the match 13 seconds before the end of the last period.  

SC Bern leads series 1-0

Playout final

Genève-Servette HC - HC Ambrì-Piotta 6:3

The hosts had the better start and Morris Trachsler opened the score already in the second minute when his team was in power play and he made a nice move to get the pack through the five-hole of Ambri's goalie. A well-placed shot into the left corner from a center position brought the equalizer through Maxim Noreau with a bit more than two minutes left to play in the first period. The second again began with a more motivated Genève which now had a run. Rico Fata with a nice spin around shot, Antonietti into the wide open net after the guest's goalie failed to stand up again on time and a goal by Daniel Rubin into the short corner made it 4-1 within eight minutes. A hard shot by Inti Pestoni around "half time" brought hope back to the guests but at the begin of the third again Rico Fata did get the three-goal lead of his Servette back. When Genéve was shorthanded they conquered the puck after a face-off and then had a fast counter-attack that was succesful. A rebound of Daniele Grassi made it 5-3 two minutes later but again Genève found an answer and Petr Vampola decided the game with 8 minutes to go. The Czech was left completely alone in front of the goal and how rather small problems to get the puck over the line.

Genève leads series 1-0

 

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