Finally! After ten losses on home soil against the three best European nations since joining the Euro Hockey Tour, Switzerland managed to win. A success on the smallest of scores yet perfectly deserved.
The Swiss notably delivered a remarkable first third. It was clearly their best period of the tournament. From the first skates, Patrick Fischer’s players showed a desire not to let themselves be dominated. They were the ones who went to finish their charges and collected several dangerous pucks.
So yes, this offensive attitude almost cost them a goal like in the 2nd, but it was they who opened the scoring in the 15th. Superbly launched by Fabian Heldner, Christoph Bertschy was able to dive into the middle of the Finnish defense zone. The Friborg player knew how to use his speed perfectly to then beat Emil Larmi with a nice feint.
Switzerland could have closed this initial period with a clearer advantage if Lukas Frick’s shot (13th) had not kissed the post. And in the 19th, Sven Andrighetto came up against Larmi.
The Växjö goalkeeper stood out again in the 21st minute on an attempt by Herzog, but as far as the high-flying saves were concerned, it was Ludovic Waeber who pulled out all the stops in the 38th minute to prevent the Finns to equalize in a head-to-head encounter in front of a Leijonat attacker.
Speaking of Waeber, we don’t know if this tournament will have an impact on Patrick Fischer’s decision as to the goalkeepers he intends to take with him to Herning next May. What is certain is that after conceding only two goals on Saturday against the Czechs, Kloten’s last defense showed itself in its best light by achieving a shutout. He surely scored points compared to Stéphane Charlin, lined up on Thursday against the Swedes.
