Hockey – Euro Hockey Tour: solid victory, bold choices and plenty of momentum – rts.ch

To return to the game of their heroes, the Finnish Federation put the small bowls in the big bowls. The evening started with a celebration ceremony.2022 World Champion“and”2022 Olympic Gold” was raised to the ceiling of the Arena in Turku under the sound of a violinist on the ice and was interrupted by fireworks. What should scare the local players? Still, their start to the meeting was quite subtle, which allowed Switzerland to quickly gain confidence in their resources.

Félicien Du Bois emphasizes this trust. Former Davos player, RTS consultant liked the mood of the white cross players very much: “We saw more will in the Swiss team than in Finland. That’s why they won more duels. The team was one, there was always a second player to support“. for Neuchatelois,”puck handling was also good, but there were some ups and downs in execution. Overall I found the show quite believable and there is a lot to take from it.“.

It was a tough game between two good teams

We also welcome Switzerland’s performance in the Finnish camps. “It was a tough game between two good teams“, striker Marko Anttila noted. The 37-year-old veteran, who stopped at 2m03, admitted that the game of the guests made it difficult for his team:”Switzerland attacked very quickly with two or three forwards, trying to quickly get the puck into our zone. It caused us problems, but we still played our style of game quite well.“.

An offensive extension

For his part, Patrick Fischer was satisfied with the game of his players: “It was difficult to play against the world champion. Their trap system makes it difficult to score against them. This victory fills us with confidence“.

I trust my strikers and their defensive qualities

The national coach chose a special tactic for overtime: he sent the forwards to the ice three times, especially when he was very close to victory a few seconds later. This bold choice was a sign of confidence in the players in form: “I trust my forwards and their defensive qualities, I use players who skate well and can give a lot of speed.“, admitting that the decision was also dictated by circumstances, explained Patrick Fischer: “Kukan was also supposed to play in extra time, but he was injured during the game and had to come off the bench. That’s why we made this choice“.

A power play that hasn’t been cracked yet

However, a nice win over a top-tier opponent shouldn’t hide a few struggles that Switzerland has had, especially on the power play. For Felicien Du Bois, “there was a unit that was able to enter the area, but no real magic, nor this little passage that allowed a line of fire. As for the second unit, he couldn’t even settle in the offensive zone, so that’s something to look into.“. Switzerland’s coaching staff also agrees with the former Kloten player, as he worked on the power play for a long time in training on Friday morning.

Patrick Fisher put a lot of pressure on the hot players last night, giving them plenty of ice time.

If Patrick Fischer used his emotions to a large extent to dictate his selections against Finland, it will not be possible in time. Félicien Du Bois notes about this: “Patrick Fisher put a lot of pressure on the hot players last night, giving them plenty of time. It can be defended with a day off on Friday, but I think he would like to be able to rotate the workforce a bit more.“.

The advisor is excited to see the team’s evolution for the game against Sweden (Saturday 11:25 on RTS 2). “We will have to face another opponent who defends differently. On Friday, zone performances were performed in practice. Labor turnover can also have an impactSo Sven Andrigetto and Christian Marti should be protected from Sweden.

Bastien Trottet, Turku – @BastienTrottet