Friborg emerged victorious from the seventh game in the play-off quarter-finals between Fribourg-Gottéron and Lugano.
Fribourg-Gottéron won against Lugano on Thursday evening and moved into the play-off semi-finals.
Anthony Anex / KEYSTONE
(sda) Supported by the home crowd, Fribourg-Gottéron pulled its head out of the noose in the play-off quarter-finals and won game 7 against Lugano 4-2. One of the trio Lausanne, Zug and Bern is waiting in the semi-finals.
“The whole season is at stake,” said Friborg captain Julien Sprunger, describing the starting position before the “Belle”. After an excellent qualification with a points record in the club’s history, the Freiburg team were threatened with another season of disappointment. Like a year ago in the pre-play-offs, Lugano wanted to play spoilsport. But this time things turned out differently.
Killian Mottet caused the sold-out Freiburg Arena to explode for the first time after 18 minutes. Afterwards, like two days before in Lugano, when the home team forced the “Belle” to win 3-2 thanks to two power play goals, the penalties were again decisive.
Coming from the penalty box, Christoph Bertschy increased the score to 2-0 after 22 minutes after a fine pass from Sandro Schmid. It was the first goal in these play-offs for Friborg’s best Swiss goalscorer in qualification. Just over two minutes later, Lugano’s top scorer Daniel Carr scored the 1-2 goal when he was outnumbered. But Chris DiDomenico restored Gottéron’s two-goal lead shortly after half-time with a power-play goal.
Although Lugano’s captain Calvin Thürkauf was able to reduce the score to 2:3 34 seconds before the second break, Friborg could not get away from winning ways in the final third. The hosts also survived a four-minute outnumbered situation shortly before the end unscathed. Reto Berra with some strong saves and double goalscorer Bertschy with the 4-2 into the empty goal ultimately ensured that Lugano has to wait for its first semi-final qualification since reaching the final six years ago.
For Fribourg, the hunt for the first championship title in the club’s history continues on Easter Monday with the first semi-final home game. Coach Christian Dubé’s team won’t know its opponent until Saturday – it depends on the outcome of the Lausanne-Davos and Zug-Bern series, both of which will also be decided in a Game 7. But it definitely won’t be record champions Davos.