Patrick Fischer’s team won 4-3 after penalties against the team of captain Henrik Tömmernes (ex-GSHC) on Saturday in Helsinki.
Successes from Damien Riat and Théo Rochette allowed the Swiss selection to make the difference in the “shootout”. Gilles Senn did the rest of the job, the four Swedes failing in this exercise.
The Ambri-Piotta goalkeeper was able to end his day on a positive note. He allowed Sweden to equalize in the 45th with a big blunder, losing a puck that he thought he was controlling under his mitt to give Emil Pettersson the 3-3.
Saved by a post 10 minutes from the end of regulation time on a shot from Friberg, Senn had already made up for it by making a decisive save 92 seconds from the end of the extra period on a delayed penalty. His teammates then perfectly managed the 92” of numerical inferiority that followed.
The Swiss team had not beaten Sweden since April 7, 2016 and a 5-3 success in preparation for the world championship. She put in a convincing performance on Saturday, after coming under Swedish pressure during the first ten minutes of play, showing herself to be particularly disciplined.
The Andrighetto-Malgin-Riat triplet also stood out. The first named scored a double, opening the scoring in the 13th before making it 3-2 on the power play, with the second scoring two assists. Credited with an assist in the 1-0, Riat also set an example on penalties.
Beaten in overtime by Finland on Thursday at the opening of the Finnish stage of the Euro Hockey Tour, the Swiss team will finish its tournament on Sunday, with a match also scheduled for the beginning of the afternoon. She will challenge the Czech Republic for a “remake” of the final of the last World Cup, won 2-0 by the Czechs.
