The season is over for the SCL Tigers after a defeat against ZSC.
EHC Biel has reached the play-offs.
Peter Klaunzer / Keystone
(sda) EHC Biel secures the last place in the play-in. The Zealanders win against defending champions Genève-Servette 2-1 at the end of qualifying in the National League.
The rip cord was probably pulled at just the right moment at EHC Biel. After the dismissal of Petri Matikainen and the interim installation of sports director Martin Steinegger on the boards, the Zealanders won two wins in three games. Thanks to the 2-1 win against champions and Champions League winners Genève-Servette, the Biel team ended a complicated and at times turbulent qualification in ninth place and thus have the chance to take last place in the play-in, again against the Geneva team in the playoff quarterfinals.
After Geneva’s opening goal by Teemu Hartikainen (13th), the Zealanders managed to react. Ramon Tanner (23rd) and Luca Cunti (33rd) turned things around in the middle section in favor of the EHCB, who then defended their lead passionately, although the Grenat no longer seemed to be pressing for a new turnaround with any final determination.
SCL Tigers lose in Zurich
There is no postseason for the SCL Tigers. The Langnauer team lost their last game in Zurich against the ZSC Lions 1:2 after extra time. Even a win wouldn’t have been enough. 88 seconds before the end, Saku Maenalanen equalized for the SCL Tigers. But when extra time began, the Tigers already knew that the season could no longer be extended because Biel had already won in Geneva.
In their final 64 minutes of the season, the SCL Tigers never made it over the line. Yannick Zehnder gave the home team the lead after just seven minutes. Langnau could have taken the lead in the 2nd minute through defender Vili Saarijärvi. American Sean Malone missed the Tigers’ best chance to score in the 37th minute. But at that point the EHC Biel was already leading in Geneva.
At least the Lions and Tigers can end the qualification with a positive result. The SCL Tigers had nothing to do with the relegation battle and were allowed to play for the play-offs or at least the play-in until the end. And the ZSC Lions finished the qualification in 1st place for the first time since 2020. They set a club points record with 110 points. They had already achieved the previous record of 106 points ten years ago under coach Marc Crawford.