Gottéron still untitled: ZSC Lions advance to cup final

Gottéron still untitled: ZSC Lions advance to cup final

After a 4-1 win in Freiburg, the ZSC Lions are the first team in the cup final. Two hits on Gottéron’s empty goal sealed the Lions’ victory in the final 66 seconds.

The semi-final between Freiburg and the ZSC Lions offered suspense until the penultimate minute, both teams showing their good form. But even Gottéron was ultimately unable to stop the ZSC Lions, who returned to play for the first time without Pius Suter, who had left for Chicago. The Lions haven’t lost a game since Oct. 27 and the 5-2 loss at Ambri. Since then, he has won seven games in a row in the championship, and in the cup he won against Lugano (round of 16), Langenthal (quarter-finals) and now Freiburg.

Desharnais fataler Lattentreffer

The ZSC Lions dominated the first section in the semifinals, but decided the game in the second period. In this second leg, the Lions closed a deficit and made the return with two goals in 313 seconds from Justin Sigrist and Marcus Krüger. Chris Baltisberger secured the final score 4-1 with two shots on empty goal in the final 66 seconds.

HC Friborg-Gottéron could have steered the game in a different direction if David Desharnais had put the puck into the goal instead of the crossbar 47 seconds after Freiburg’s first goal. In the 43rd minute, during Freiburg’s highest pressure phase, Julien Sprunger hit the edge of the goal again.

The ZSC Lions, who won the cup five years ago, but always failed at the start of the cup ever since, a big payday awaits him, which is of great importance especially in this coronavirus season. Winning the Swiss Cup (for the moment) brings in 325,000 francs.

The Zurich team will not find out about the final rival in the coming days. The second semi-final between Bern and Servette was postponed from Sunday to Tuesday due to the Geneva quarantine. But because SC Bern is stuck in quarantine over Christmas, the semi-finals will take place in the last days of this year at the earliest. The cup final is scheduled for February 7. (ram / sda)

The telegram

Freiburg-Gottéron – ZSC Lions 1: 4 (0: 0, 1: 2, 0: 2)
No spectators. – SR Fluri / Lemelin, Schlegel / Steenstra.
Tore: 22. Gunderson (Stalberg, Desharnais / Exclusions Trutmann, Sigrist) 1: 0. 30. Sigrist (Marti, Krüger) 1: 1. 35. Krüger (Geering / Exclusion Rossi) 1: 2. 59. (58:54) Chris Baltisberger (Roe) 1: 3 (towards the empty goal). 60. (59:49) Chris Baltisberger (DiDomenico exclusion) 1: 4 (towards the empty goal). – Penalties: 4 times 2 plus 10 minutes (DiDomenico) against Friborg-Gottéron, 4 times 2 minutes against ZSC Lions.
Freiburg-Gottéron: Berra; Sutter, Jecker; Kamerzin, Gunderson; Aebischer, Abplanalp; Bochud; DiDomenico, Schmid, gentlemen; Stalberg, Desharnais, Mottet; Rossi, Walser, Jörg; Sprunger, Bykow, Bougro.
ZSC Lions: Waeber; Noreau, Martí; Morant, Geering; Trutmann, Berni; Phil Baltisberger; Chris Baltisberger, Roe, Andrighetto; Pettersson, Kruger, Sigrist; Bodenmann, Diem, Hollenstein; Pedretti, Schäppi, Wick; Prassl.
Observations: Freiburg without Chavaillaz, Furrer, Marchon (all injured) and Brodin (foreign surplus), ZSC Lions without Blindenbacher (injured) and Flüeler (sick). (ram / sda)