Ice hockey,02.05.2022
It’s crazy, but true: The EV Zug achieved a spectacular turnaround with the 3:1 victory on Sunday night, and have successfully defended the ice hockey title. Goalie Leonardo Genoni has also made his entry in the history book with his seventh championship title.
EVZ – ZSC Lions 3:1 (1:1, 1:0, 1:0)
The match report
The scenes after the end of the game were witness to indescribable emotions: there was no stopping either the fans or the players. The background was again impressive, the noise level huge, the atmosphere gigantic. There were feelings of happiness everywhere you looked. The ballad “An Tage wie diese wünscht man sich Unendlichkeit " (On days like these, you wish for infinity) by the Toten Hosen roared through the Bossard Arena immediately after the final siren.
The ZSC Lions wanted to copy FC Zurich by celebrating the 10th title in the club's history. But the EVZ had something to say about this. May 1st 2022 will now go down in Swiss hockey history, because the EV Zug is the first team since the playoffs were initiated (in 1986/87) to turn-around a 0:3 match deficit and win the title. "A title in an arena packed with spectators. There’s no better feeling," said Grégory Hofmann in the winner's interview.
The Zug team celebrate the championship title
Swiss Champion! EVZ double goal scorer Dario Simion (right) celebrates with Dario Allenspach.
The obligatory team championship photo with the fans
EVZ fans celebrate after winning the Swiss Ice Hockey Championship
Photos: Claudio Thoma / Freshfocus, Zug
This final series offered a lot of drama from the very beginning. And game number 7 also offered a lot of it – especially in the final phase. EV Zug led 2-1. The EVZ fans suffered, shivered and trembled - until Dario Simion put the puck into the empty net with 50 seconds to go.
Leonardo Genoni breaks the "straight" master curse
The ZSC left no stone unturned in the ‘finalissima’, but EV Zug has the "indestructible" Leonardo Genoni standing between the posts. The 34-year-old's final record is almost unreal: in six playoff finals, he has never left the ice as a loser. And he has now expanded his trophy collection. A record. With this title, he is now the most successful player in Swiss ice hockey, alongside Jörg Eberle. The goalie of the national team also broke an apparently fixed law: he had never won a title in an even year. Whereas he lifted the trophy in 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 in each case. "It's the conclusion we wanted. It's just mega beautiful," beamed the goalkeeper.
It took a real show of strength before the EVZ players could be celebrated by the fans. The Zurich team put a damper on the ambitions of the Zug team early on – after only 62 seconds. For once, however, the star line around Denis Malgin wasn’t worried about the scoreline. Justin Azevedo scored, marking the end of a dry spell for the ZSC storm line: in the last five games, the ZSC storm lines 2 to 4 had remained without a goal. Rikard Grönborg's team was aware that other offensive forces also had to be torn down - not just the star line around Denis Malgin. The home team recovered quite quickly from the goal, however, and did not seem to be paralyzed at all, but took over the sceptre, created scoring chances and did more for the game. The deficit seemed to hit the fans harder – but even for them, the subdued mood was short-lived: "Flame helmet" wearer Jan Kovar had the brilliant idea that led to the equaliser in the 18th minute. Dario Simion found his fine pass, and made the arena shake for the first time that evening.
Herzog's beautiful "Game-Winning-Goal"
EV Zug fell into an inexplicable passivity in the middle third, and the "Zett" (ZSC) seemed to have a powerful wind in its sails. But once again, the EVZ powerplay, which has long been described as a "problem child", struck. Fabrice Herzog sunk the puck into the angle of the goal (34th minute). There was hardly a hand’s distance in between – a masterpiece of a goal. This situation showed that, in the playoffs, it’s centimetres that decide on victory or defeat. You can argue for hours about personnel decisions, tactics, and game systems. "I can assure you that nobody in this locker room is giving up," Dan Tangnes had said after the 0-3 deficit in the final series. With the constant pressure of the end of the season in his neck, the championship trainer preached looseness and patience. His team showed that on the ice. The EV Zug and its fans now find themselves in a seventh heaven.
The match telegram
Zug – ZSC Lions 3:1 (1:1, 1:0, 1:0) Goals:2. Azevedo (Roe) 0:1. 18. Simion (Jan Kovar, sin bin: Weber) 1:1. 34. Herzog (Simion, sin bin: Phil Baltisberger) 2:1. 60. Simion 3:1 (into empty goal). Penalties: 1x 2 minute penalty against Zug, 3x 2 minute penalty s against ZSC Lions. Remarks: Zug without Lander (excess foreign player), Suri and Martschini (both injured). ZSC without Krüger, Morant (both injured) and Quenneville (excess foreign player).
Bossard Arena. 7,200 spectators (sold out). – Referees: Lemelin/Hebeisen; Obwegeser/Fuchs.
Zug: Genoni; Schlumpf, Kreis; Djoos, Gross; Hansson, Stadler; Cadonau, Wüthrich; Simion, Jan Kovar, Herzog; Klingberg, Müller, Hofmann; Zehnder, Senteler, Bachofner; Allenspach, Leuenberger, De Nisco. ZSC Lions: Jakub Kovar; Noreau, Marti; Phil Baltisberger, Geering; Weber, Kivistö; Trutmann; Hollenstein, Malgin, Andrighetto; Azevedo, Roe, Bodenmann; Chris Baltisberger, Sigrist, Pedretti; Aeschlimann, Schäppi, Diem; Sopa.
