The ZSC fans are already lying in each other’s arms, spellbound and looking tensely at the large video cube. The referee team checks a goal from Yannick Zehnder after he scores the ZSC Lions the hoped-for victory after 88 minutes. Biel coach Martin Steinegger demands a lot from the referees, which is why they now look at number 12’s distractor for minutes. When the clock shows exactly 11:35 p.m., the referee points to the spot after the video consultation. The goal counts, the ZSC Lions win and can make it to the semi-finals on Friday.
Hard piece of work
The ZSC Lions are not having the best performance this evening. They are good, but not necessarily better than EHC Biel. Although they want to take over the reins in the starting phase and can do so at times, the Zealanders seem to have found a way to neutralize their opponents. They also survived a shorthanded game against Marc Crawford’s team for the first time in this series. After more than a quarter of an hour, the guests took the lead through Viktor Lööv. After that, top chances and outnumbered games alternate again and again, without anything countable coming out of it. Säteri and Simon Hrubec are having an absolute blast. Yannick Weber also seems to have got up on the right foot. In the 35th minute, the defender took heart and pushed the disc past friend and foe into the net. The compensation you deserve, even if it involves a lot of effort. But the evening is supposed to be torture for the Zett fans. Five minutes before the end, Damien Brunner puts his team in the lead again and ensures that the Lions definitely have to wake up.
Double happiness
There are still over two minutes to go before Simon Hrubec has to leave the box for tactical reasons. There is no other reason, because the Czech is the best man on the ice and creates breathtaking moments with his saves. 51 seconds before the end, the mentality monsters from Zurich finally hit back. Denis Hollenstein deftly and cleverly deflected a wrist shot past goalie Säteri and equalized in the last minute. Pure Hitchcock! Before redemption comes, a first overtime period passes without any goals. Although there were plenty of high-profile opportunities during this period. Then, after 87 minutes and three seconds, Yannick Zehnder’s hour strikes. His deflection seems to be worth its weight in gold this evening and his goal celebration in Jürgen Klopp style has the home fans freaking out late in the evening.
(Marko Filipovic)