Switzerland – Slovakia, Arosa Challenge

16 Dec 2012 | Andreas Reiner

After a 3:1 victory over Belarus on Friday, the Swiss squad was facing Slovakia, who had beaten the Norwegians 3:2 in a penalty shoot-out, in the Final of the Arosa Challenge.

Sport- und Kongresszentrum Arosa, 2’119 Spectators

Switzerland played with the NHL players Raphael Diaz, Damien Brunner, Mark Streit, Roman Josi, Yannick Weber and Luca Sbisa. Slovakia didn’t have any of their locked out players on their roster.

The first line with Damien Brunner and Raphael Diaz had a few good chances during the first minutes of the first period where the Swiss had 3 Power-play chances but couldn’t collect the goals.

Thomas Stelik had the first real chance after 14 minutes of the first period but Reto Berra was solid between the pipes.

In the 16th minute Luca Cunti scored a backhanded goal against Hudacek which was his first goal for the Swiss national team.

After only 33 seconds in the 2nd period Reto Suri scored a goal, assisted by Sbisa and Plüss giving the swiss the necessary confidence to dominate their opponent in the minutes to come. Damien Brunner scored a power play goal via the Slovak goalie, assisted by Streit 7 minutes later. In the 12th minute, Simon Bodenmann from the Kloten Flyers scored the 4th goal, assists given to Hollenstein and Cunti.

The third period started rather slow, the Swiss taking some speed and intensity out of the game with the victory in sight. In the 8th minute the Swiss were able to keep a clean box play sheet after a 2 minute penalty by Mark Streit, only 4 minutes later another minor penalty by Victor Stancescu and yet another minor penalty for hooking by veteran Martin Plüss.

Ryan Gardner and Branislav Mezei were sent to the cool box for roughing, receiving a 2 minute minor, Mezei even a 2’+2, giving the Swiss a 30 second power play where Goran Bezina scored the 5th goal of the game.

All in all, the Swiss were clearly the better team, scoring on the number of chances they created and playing a solid box play. In the end, it will all depend on the NHL and NHLPA if the locked out players will be able to participate at the World Championships in Sweden/Finland this coming spring, giving the Swiss and other smaller European countries a boost.

In the game for the 3rd place the Norwegian squad beat the Belarus 4:1.

Switzerland: Berra; Seger, Sbisa; Streit, Diaz; Julien Vauclair, Bezina; Weber, Josi; Suri, Martin Plüss, Rüthemann; Damien Brunner, Paul Savary, Monnet; Bieber, Gardner, Stancescu; Bodenmann, Cunti, Hollenstein.

Slovakia: Hudacek; Starosta, Valabik; Sloboda, Mezei; Svarny, Stehlik; Mikus; Vandas, Surovy, Zaborsky; Hovorka, Spirko, Hascak; Tybor, Skoliak, Chovan; Majdan, Lusnak, Zagrapan; Sykora.