Patrick Fischer’s men were beaten 3-0 by the Czech Republic on Sunday in Stokcholm, less than 24 hours after defeating Sweden in overtime. Czech success does not suffer any discussion, even if the last two goals have been scored while Sandro Aeschlimann had left his cage.
This “experimental” Swiss, deprived of many sick or injured players, certainly did not deserve this week. Beaten 1-0 after the penalties by Finland Thursday in Langnau, she picked up a prestige success on Saturday, overthrowing Sweden (2-1) being still carried out at the score seven minutes from the end.
But the final “rush” of Saturday, punctuated by goals signed Nicolas Bächler (54th) and Calvin Thürkauf (64th, thanks to a superb preparatory work of the Friborg Christoph Bertschy), cannot hide a terrible reality: Switzerland is sorely lacking in efficiency in front of the opposing goal.
The Swiss selection has only scored four goals in six matches played in the last two Euro Hockey Tour tournaments. As in Friborg in December -and as in November in Helsinki -she must be satisfied with a victory in Stockholm in this prestigious meeting.
On Sunday, Swiss players have no longer displayed the same rage to defeat as the day before. The Czech goalkeeper Josef Korenar had to face only 12 shots framed only, including 7 in a third third where his teammates were content to wait when they only led 1-0.
The Helvetians, who were able to believe it until the end, have very rarely put the Czech rear in danger. Even during the two digital superiorities from which they benefited. Simon Knak (37th) and Fabian Ritzmann (40th) had the 1-1 at the end of their butt, but they lacked precision in the last gesture.
The positive point of the weekend is the effectiveness of the Swiss “box”. On Saturday, the porter of the LHC Kevin Pasche kept his invited cage during the six minutes of numerical superiority which Sweden benefited the third third at 1-0. And Sunday, the Czechs remained “silent” despite four power games.
But the world champions made the difference at 5 against 5. In the 28th, less than two minutes after Switzerland had “killed” a fourth penalty, Lubos Horky logically opened the mark with a specific wrist shot. This success has proven to be sufficient, the last two goals being inscribed in an empty cage.
