Ambri-Piotta wins against Lausanne 4:3 after a penalty shoot-out. Dominik Kubalik and Dominik Zwerger are the match winners.
Ambri had to go into overtime for the 13th time in the 25th game of the current championship. Since no goals were scored in overtime despite good chances on both sides, the penalty shootout had to decide the game. Tim Heed and Dominik Kubalik scored twice for the hosts, while only Janne Kuokkanen was successful for the LHC. The Leventines had already won the first two penalty shoot-outs this season.
Although Ambri conceded no fewer than three minor penalties in the first 17 minutes of the second period, the home team turned a 0:2 lead (20th) into a 3:2 lead (40th) in the middle period. Dominik Zwerger, who had previously gone eleven games in a row without scoring, played a major part in the turnaround. The Austrian made it 1:2 35 seconds after the first break and also had a hand in Kubalik's next two goals. At 3:2, the Czech hammered the puck into the net 38.9 seconds before the end of the middle period on the power play.
In the 51st minute, Damien Riat saved the visitors, for whom Kuokkanen (9th) and Ken Jäger (practically on the buzzer) had scored in the first period, into overtime. Nevertheless, Lausanne lost three in a row for the first time in the current championship. It was Ambri's second home win in a row, having previously lost four in a row in front of their home crowd.
Telegram:
Ambri-Piotta - Lausanne 4:3 (0:2, 3:0, 0:1, 0:0) n.P.
6642 spectators. - Referees Kaukokari (FIN)/Lemelin (USA), Huguet/Francey. - Goals: 9. Kuokkanen (Bayreuther) 0:1. 20. (20:00) Jäger 0:2. 21. (20:35) Zwerger (DiDomenico) 1:2. 37. Kubalik (Zwerger) 2:2. 40. (39:21) Kubalik (Virtanen, Zwerger/powerplay goal) 3:2. 51. Riat (Heldner) 3:3. - Penalty shoot-out: Heed 1:0, Riat -; Bürgler -, Suomela -; DiDomenico -, Kuokkanen 1:1; Kubalik 2:1, Fuchs -; Zwerger -, Pajuniemi -. - Penalties: 4 times 2 minutes each. - PostFinance top scorers: Virtanen; Suomela.
Ambri-Piotta: Juvonen; Heed, Pezzullo; Virtanen, Zgraggen; Wüthrich, Curran; Isacco Dotti; Zwerger, DiDomenico, Kubalik; De Luca, Landry, Müller; Bürgler, Kostner, Pestoni; Grassi, Heim, Douay; Hedlund.
Lausanne: Keller; Heldner, Frick; Sklenicka, Bayreuther; Fiedler, Marti; Vouardoux, Haas; Riat, Suomela, Fuchs; Bozon, Jäger, Hügli; Pajuniemi, Kuokkanen, Rüegsegger; Holdener, Benjamin Bougro, Mémeteau.
Remarks: Ambri-Piotta without Maillet (extra foreigner), Lausanne without Genazzi (suspended), Glauser, Oksanen, Pilut, Prassl, Raffl and Rochette (all injured).
Results/Rankings:
Sunday: Bern - Rapperswil-Jona Lakers 4:2 (1:1, 2:0, 1:1). Ambri-Piotta - Lausanne 4:3 (0:2, 3:0, 0:1, 0:0) n.P.
Ranking: 1. Davos 26/53 (88:58). 2. ZSC Lions 24/52 (78:47). 3. Bern 27/48 (89:70). 4. Lausanne 26/46 (81:79). 5. Zug 26/41 (86:70). 6. Kloten 26/41 (66:68). 7. Biel 26/37 (57:57). 8. Fribourg-Gottéron 26/34 (64:73). 9. Genève-Servette 23/33 (68:66). 10. SCL Tigers 24/32 (55:58). 11. Ambri-Piotta 25/32 (69:83). 12. Rapperswil-Jona Lakers 26/32 (66:80). 13. Lugano 24/29 (62:82). 14. Ajoie 25/21 (60:98).
SDA