Eishockey
The reigning champion EC Wil has to say goodbye to the playoffs early – but cheers in Uzwil, the semi-finals are within reach
A year ago, EC Wil knocked every opponent out of the competition in the playoffs and crowned themselves Swiss amateur champions. On Tuesday the end came in the playoff quarter-finals. Second division team Uzwil, for its part, is riding a wave of success.
There are no gifts given in the playoffs. Matteo Schärer, two-time Wiler goalscorer (above), fighting for the puck with Adam Stepanek.
Image: Beat Lanzendorfer
The end was already apparent from the beginning. The first division team EC Wil was caught cold in the fourth playoff game against EHC Dübendorf on Tuesday evening. In the 3:6 defeat, he was 0:2 behind after just four minutes.
The exit in the playoff quarter-finals is certainly a disappointment. But the Wilers would have had to surpass themselves against Dübendorf, the relegated team who wanted to get back up straight away. Last year’s amateur Swiss champion only succeeded to a limited extent. At most in game 2, when the Zurich team were sent home with a 2:4 defeat.
After being eliminated by the best team in the qualification, the players and support team say goodbye early for the holidays. These now take a little longer than a year ago. Preparation for the coming season begins at the beginning of May.
The frustration runs deep
EC-Wil coach Raphael Kaderli struggled to find the right words after the last 60 minutes of the season. His frustration was clear to see.
“These moments are also part of sport. Then you go to your opponent and congratulate him on his victory.” The playoff journey now continues for Dübendorf. The people of Wil would have been very happy to continue the journey, but now it was finished in one fell swoop. “Today we ran into our opponents for no apparent reason, and after the first third the burden was too great to be able to turn the game around again.”
It wasn’t just the two quick goals conceded, after a good eleven minutes the locals were already 3-0 down. Although Matteo Schärer was able to shorten the score to 1:3 and later to 2:4 with his two goals, Dübendorf knew an answer straight away. Matteo Schärer also had his stick in play for Wiler’s third goal from Joel Moser. “We demanded everything from Dübendorf in this series, and our opponents confirmed that to us,” concluded Raphael Kaderli. Which of course could only be a small consolation.
The EHC Uzwil is on a high
The emotional world at EHC Uzwil is completely different to that in Wil. The second division team is still unbeaten in the playoffs and has a good chance of eliminating Küssnacht am Rigi from the playoffs after Chiasso. After the 3-2 win on Tuesday, they still need a win to advance to the playoff semi-finals in the second division. The first opportunity is on Thursday evening in the Uzehalle at home.
The Uzwil team led 1-0 after the first third thanks to a goal from Lukas Klopfer and were able to increase it to 2-0 in the middle section thanks to the same player. Two goals that were annoying from Uzwil’s perspective brought Küssnacht am Rigi back into business.
It was a good five minutes before the final siren that Dominik Gschwend secured EHC Uzwil’s victory with the third goal. The fact that the Eastern Swiss were able to celebrate again after last Saturday’s 3-2 win was also due to goalkeeper Michael Ströbel, who drove the opposing offensive to despair with several strong saves. (bl)
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2024-02-14 16:25:23
#Wil #goodbye #playoffs #early
