Fribourg-Gottéron also has a successful start to the new calendar year after winning the Spengler Cup. It wins 4-2 at home against the Swiss champions ZSC Lions.
03.01.2025, 22:00
03.01.2025, 22:10
SDA
The results from Friday evening
- Fribourg-Gottéron - ZSC Lions 4:2 (3:0, 0:2, 1:0)
- Davos - Ajoie 0:3 (0:0, 0:1, 0:2)
Before the game, captain Julien Sprunger presented the Spengler Cup trophy, the first in the club's history, in the arena in Fribourg, which was sold out as usual in the last two seasons. Gottéron then got off to a flying start. And defended their early lead passionately in the end.
In the first fourteen minutes, defenceman Dave Sutter, Swede Lucas Wallmark from an acute angle and Kevin Nicolet gave the home team a 3-0 lead. The 21-year-old Nicolet scored for the first time in the championship after his debut goal at the Spengler Cup.
The middle third then belonged to ZSC, who were coached for the first time by former GCK Lions coach Marco Bayer following the withdrawal of coach Marc Crawford due to illness. Derek Grant and Dean Kukan reduced the deficit to 2:3.
In an astonishingly tepid final period, Fribourg pulled off their second home win of the season against the Lions - also thanks to a solid Reto Berra. The goalie held on to victory on his 37th birthday and also had luck on his side when he hit the post. With the 4:2 into the empty net, Sutter made himself a double scorer.
He also prevented ZSC from overtaking Lausanne as winners again. The gap is still three points - albeit with three games less.
Davos' crisis intensifies
HC Davos is slowly but surely slipping into a crisis. After four defeats before Christmas, the HCD lost 3-0 at home to Ajoie to start the new year.
When Julius Nättinen scored in the 28th minute to make it 1-0, it was Ajoie's first away goal in over 165 minutes. In the final third, two more foreigners - Oula Palve, who had returned after his loan to Servette, and Jonathan Hazen - increased the lead to 3-0 for the visitors from the Jura.
The win was historic for Ajoies: In their fifteenth game, they picked up three points on home ice for the first time this season, and they had only won once before, in a penalty shootout in Lausanne at the end of October.
HC Davos, on the other hand, who were doing well until the national team break in mid-December, lost for the fifth time in a row, the third time at home. Only the Spengler Cup saw two victories in the last four weeks, before they were eliminated in the semi-final against Fribourg-Gottéron. The former leaders have slipped to 4th place in the table.
Telegram:
Fribourg-Gottéron - ZSC Lions 4:2 (3:0, 0:2, 1:0)
9262 spectators. - SR Piechaczek (GER)/Fonselius (FIN), Steenstra (CAN)/Meusy. - Goals: 8. Sutter (Vey, Lilja) 1:0. 12. Wallmark (Vey, Dufner) 2:0. 14. Nicolet (De la Rose, Sprunger) 3:0. 22. Grant (Rohrer, Trutmann) 3:1. 29. Kukan (Andrighetto, Geering) 3:2. 60. (59:13) Sutter (Wallmark) 4:2 (into the empty net). - Penalties: 1 x 2 minutes against Fribourg-Gottéron, 3 x 2 minutes against ZSC Lions. - PostFinance top scorers: Wallmark; Grant.
Fribourg-Gottéron: Berra; Gunderson, Jecker; Diaz, Dufner; Sutter, Streule; Rathgeb; Nicolet, Wallmark, Sörensen; Bertschy, Vey, Lilja; Sprunger, De la Rose, Marchon; Etter, Walser, Gerber; Mottet.
ZSC Lions: Hrubec; Kukan, Geering; Trutmann, Marti; Weber, Lehtonen; Schwendeler; Sigrist, Malgin, Andrighetto; Rohrer, Grant, Balcers; Frödén, Lammikko, Zehnder; Baltisberger, Baechler, Riedi; Olsson.
Remarks: Fribourg-Gottéron without Schmid (injured) and Borgman (extra foreigner), ZSC Lions without Henry (sick) and Kinnunen (extra foreigner). ZSC Lions without goalkeeper from 58:22 to 59:13.
Davos - Ajoie 0:3 (0:0, 0:1, 0:2)
6547 spectators. - SR Wiegand/Arpagaus, Cattaneo/Bachelut. - Goals: 28. Nättinen (Sopa) 0:1. 51. Palve (Minder) 0:2. 56. Hazen (Devos, Pedretti) 0:3. - Penalties: 2 times 2 minutes against Davos, 4 times 2 minutes against Ajoie. - PostFinance top scorers: Tambellini; Nättinen.
Davos: Hollenstein; Jung, Gross; Julius Honka, Dahlbeck; Andersson, Barandun; Guebey; Frehner, Corvi, Tambellini; Stransky, Ryfors, Kessler; Valentin Nussbaumer, Egli, Lemieux; Parrée, Ambühl, Knak; Wieser.
Ajoie: Conz; Anttoni Honka, Fey; Arno Nussbaumer, Fischer; Minder, Maurer; Thiry, Pilet; Palve, Bellemare, Nättinen; Hazen, Devos, Pedretti; Robin, Garessus, Bozon; Sopa, Romanenghi, Veckaktins.
Remarks: Davos without Fora, Nordström and Zadina (all injured), Ajoie without Frossard, Patenaude, Rundqvist, Scheidegger, Schmutz, Turkulainen (all injured) and Brennan (supernumerary foreigner).
Ranking:
Ranking: 1. Lausanne 33/64. 2. ZSC Lions 30/61. 3. Bern 33/58. 4. Davos 34/58. 5. Kloten 34/57. 6. Zug 32/49. 7. SCL Tigers 32/48. 8. Fribourg-Gottéron 33/45. 9. Rapperswil-Jona Lakers 34/45. 10. Genève-Servette 30/42. 11. Biel 32/42. 12. Lugano 32/42. 13. Ambri-Piotta 33/41. 14. Ajoie 32/29.
