NLA - Genève back on eighth

19 Feb 2012 | Dennis Mende

Saturday was a good day for all the fans who supported their teams in their away games. In five of the six games the guests won. Only home winner was Davos getting back on the first place.

EHC Biel - SCL Tigers 1:5

In the third last game of the regular season Biel had to face the SCL Tigers. Still with best chances to reach the playoffs the hosts had problems to find into the game. After a goalless first period Thomas Nüssli and Adrian Gerber brought the guests from Langnau in front with two goals within four minutes of the second. Although Alain Mieville cut the lead to one around "half time" the horror didn't stop for Biel as Christian Moser and Lukas Haas did get a three-goal lead for their team until the end of the middle period. With three minutes left in the regular time Paul Di Pietro even made it 5-1 for the SCL Tigers.

SC Bern - Genève-Servette HC 2:3

Servette earned important three points in Bern to bring two points between themselves and their competitors Biel in the fight for the last playoff spot. Despite an early Bern goal by Joel Vermin after only one and a half minutes, the guests were the better team and tied the match in the middle of the first period through Samuel Friedli. Early in the second Brian Pothier and Juraj Simek even made it 3-1 for the guests but later in the period it was Jean-Pierre Dumont who cut the lead to just one. With hard work Servette defended their small lead until the end of the match.

HC Lugano - Fribourg-Gottéron 0:3

Fribourg kept their chances alive to finish the regular season on the top of the NLA standings. In the first eight minutes of play Tristan Vauclair had scored twice for Fribourg and Shawn Heins had made it 3-0 in the middle of the second period. All come back efforts by Lugano were stopped by Fribourg star goalie Cristobal Huet who earned a shutout.

Rapperswil-Jona Lakers - Kloten Flyers 0:5

Bottom Club Rapperswil never found a way to keep Kloten away form their goal. When Michael Liniger had scored for the guests late in the first, the Lakers' defense quiet stopped to exist and only half a minute later Marcel Jenni made it 2-0 for Kloten. In the second again Liniger and Jenni increased the Kloten lead while Yannick Herren made the final 5-0 with two minutes left on the clock in the third.

EV Zug - ZSC Lions 1:2 SO

Top team EV Zug lost the first place after a shootout loss at home against the ZSC Lions. In a game with few goals Mark Bastl opened the score für Zürich in the 30th minute. With ten minutes to go in the third Damien Brunner tied the match which was decided in the shootout. There the guests were more lucky and earned the extra point to make their entry to the playoffs almost perfect.

HC Davos - HC Ambrì-Piotta 6:2

Swiss record champion HC Davos was the only team to win at home on Saturday. Their 6-2 against Ambrì-Piotta made them reconquer the first place in the NLA. The game had an exciting start with five goals in the first 13 minutes of play. After two minutes Joel Perrault brougt the guests in front but Davos could turn the game around through Lee Jinman and Corsin Camichel within two minutes. Still Ambrì gave not up and tied the game after not even eight minutes through Paolo Duca. In the 14th it was Beat Forster to get the lead back to the hosts and this should be the last goal for a long time. Early in the third Petr Taticek and Peter Sejna decided the game in favour of Davos and later in the period Taticek even made it 6-2.