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Lausanne receives FR Gottéron on Sunday (8 p.m.). Led 1-0 in the series, the Lions can send the pressure back to the Friborg camp if they win the second round.
Act II of the quarter-final between FR Gottéron and Lausanne takes place on Sunday at the Vaudoise arena.
Pascal Muller/freshfocus
Lausanne – Gottéron, act II, advantage for the Dragons who lead 1-0 in the series. In front of their public, the Lions will have the opportunity to come back to the height of the Friborg residents and send the pressure back to the Dragons camp next week. What will be the keys to a duel that promises to be explosive?
Reto Berra heads or tails?
Reto Berra shone in front of FR Gottéron’s net in the first act.
Claudio De Capitani / freshfocus
Author of 35 saves during his team’s 2-0 victory, the international goalkeeper of FR Gottéron delivered a great game during Act I and signed a first shutout in the series. For the LHC, it will logically be a question of further complicating the task of the Zurich porter of the Dragons. And especially hope that he does not know, like Friday, an evening where everything smiles on him. The disadvantage of the Dragons is that they don’t really have an alternative (Connor Hughes) if Berra is not on a good night. Should the great goalkeeper of Gottéron expect that the Lausanne attackers come to tickle him more? Probably yes.
Room for Jiri Sekac?
FR Gottéron has perfectly limited the field of action of Jiri Sekac. Will it be the same on Sunday in Lausanne?
Pascal Muller/freshfocus
Jiri Sekac had a frustrating first play-off night on Friday in Fribourg. The Czech might not give a single kick without finding himself facing the line of Samuel Walser (with Matthias Rossi and Mauro Jörg) and especially the defensive duo Dave Sutter / Philippe Furrer, who were also excellent during this first act. . In Lausanne on Sunday, coach John Fust, who will benefit from the last change of lines, will have the possibility of placing his topscorer in an armchair. For the LHC, the key will be to put the Czech in the best possible position so that he can exploit the spaces and reign in the offensive zone.
On which side will the “gods of hockey” be?
A shot on the crossbar at a key moment in the match (Joël Genazzi), a gross refereeing error and a goal wrongly canceled (Christoph Bertschy), a numerical superiority goal conceded following two defenders collided at the blue line (Martin Gernat and Lukas Frick): let’s say that the LHC was not varnished during the first act. But don’t we also say that luck smiles on those who know how to provoke it? In the first act, the Dragons knew how to jump on every opportunity. And seize their chance.
A strong welcome for DiDomenico?
Once once more, Chris DiDomenico will be the central figure in the duel between the LHC and Gottéron.
Claudio De Capitani / freshfocus
Chris DiDomenico was flawless in Act I. The Canadian did not allow himself to be provoked (even if Lausanne did not specifically target him in the first set) and he was behind the first goal signed Killian Mottet. But here it is, it is always a little easier to behave well at home, in a favorable environment, than on the road in an atmosphere that promises to be hostile. For FR Gottéron’s topscorer, the real test will be Sunday at the Vaudoise arena. The last time he performed at the Vaudoise Arena, DiDomenico was guilty of a nasty frustration foul on Martin Gernat and ended his evening’s work in the locker room. So, will crack or not crack? Answer from 8 p.m. Only certainty, the whimsical Canadian will certainly be heckled.
Who will have the best support players?
Andreï Bykov appeared at the best time for FR Gottéron.
Pascal Muller/freshfocus
Andreï Bykov, author of a sensational goal in numerical inferiority (the 2-0) during the first act, brought this little unexpected extra which allowed FR Gottéron to win the first set. If the offensive leaders (DiDomenico, Mottet, Desharnais) laid the foundations for Friborg success, the performance of the fourth block of the Dragons (with a Bykov who had never been so hard-hitting this season) made all the difference. On the Lausanne side, the question is who can potentially take over and take on part of the offensive load. For the moment and even since the start of the preplay-off once morest Ambri, not many people have come forward in the LHC camp. Players like Tim Bozon and Ronalds Kenins, to name but a few, must in turn stand out if the LHC is to return to the height of the Dragons in this series.
