Fallen for the beauty of hockey: EHC Olten loses 1:3 against Winterthur despite dominating the game
EHC Olten lost its third championship match against EHC Winterthur in the most annoying way possible. Despite dominating the game, the match was lost 1:3. The only goal was scored by Eric Faille in the power play.
Simon Sterchi in a running duel with Lucas Hedlund
Before the game, Winterthur’s media chief welcomed EHC Olten to the Deutweg ice rink as their “favorite opponent” with a mischievous laugh into the camera. Two hours later, it was clear that he was right with his mocking statement. EHC Olten once again had a particularly tough time at Deutweg and lost 1:3 to Winterthur.
And the defeat is ultimately particularly annoying, because with a little more consistency it could have been avoided by a long way. With 41:20 shots on goal, the statistics at the end spoke volumes. EHC Olten dominated the game – and EHC Winterthur scored the goals. EHCO was so superior in terms of play that it became artistic early on – and ultimately died in the beauty of hockey. Here one more pass, there one more pass, instead of looking for the move towards the goal and fulfilling the purpose of the game with a bit of vehemence: shooting the black hard rubber into the goal.
EHC Olten was dominant from the start, creative, playful and entertaining. Asselin in particular, who was the top scorer for the first time with three assists, was extremely dangerous alongside Faille and Horansky in every one of his advances. For example, after five minutes, when he delayed well in one of the numerous 2:1 situations with Faille, found himself alone in front of the incredibly strong EHCW goalkeeper Damian Stettler – and then shot way over the goal. Or shortly before the end of the first third, when Stettler lost his bearings but Asselin only hit the post.
Even after the first break, Olten pressed hard, with Wyss and Elsener hitting the post several times. But it was far from as if EHC Winterthur were not present offensively. EHCO goalkeeper Lucas Rötheli, one of Olten’s strongest players, was repeatedly called upon in the dangerous (counter) attacks.
Until he too was powerless against Ogi’s shot, which actually put his team in the lead. The goal was preceded by an annoying misunderstanding between Elsener and top scorer Asselin. And Olten’s top striker had barely tried to equalize when Olten lost the puck, which Winterthur took advantage of with a beautiful passing sequence to make it 2-0.
Disappointed Olten faces: Victor Oejdemark, Guillaume Kaser, David Moser and Mark Sever.
No goal – goal – no goal
When Horansky was sent to the penalty box a short time later, Winterthur was even close to making it 3-0. But in the midst of this danger, Asselin countered while outnumbered, and Faille sprinted to make it 2-1, whereupon the latter pushed Winterthur’s Lekic into the goal and then landed in it himself – and with him, to the delight of the Oltners, the puck. After a video consultation lasting several minutes, the referees unexpectedly awarded the goal, whereupon Winterthur invoked the Coaches Challenge due to suspected goalie obstruction, which, according to the rules, the referees are not allowed to take into account in the initial consideration of the decision. And so, after further consultation, the goal did not count after all.
EHC Olten was not discouraged by this and continued to attack before Faille brought Olten to 1:2 with a power play goal in the final minute of the second period.
There was a lot to suggest that EHC Olten would make a big turnaround in the final third. But the Power Mice became more and more haphazard and desperate from minute to minute, and time seemed to be running out. While Rötheli pulled off his greatest saves in the hectic final phase, the increasingly frustrated Olten team failed to score.
Three minutes before the end, the EHCO had a great opportunity to score the long-awaited second goal in the power play. The Oltners brought on an additional field player far too late, so it was the hosts who ultimately scored the goal into the empty net.
Schmuckli: “We have to find the fine-tuning”
And so Winterthur’s media chief was able to repeat his favorite opponent’s statement after the game with amusement and confronted EHCO captain Florian Schmuckli with it in a stadium interview: “It’s actually never easy here. Congratulations, they defended superbly and made life difficult for us. They took advantage of their chances with ice-cold precision, while we have to take responsibility for our own chances,” said the EHCO captain, and continued: “In terms of effort and commitment, you can’t blame a single player on the team. But we have to find the fine-tuning so that we don’t rush forward blindly, run into the open knife and thus easily let goals in. That was far too easy.”
In fact, EHC Olten still has a lot of potential for improvement defensively, while in the offense, despite poor utilization of opportunities, the quality is at least evident. It may sound a bit strange, but there is also a positive insight in the defeat: With the changes in the team lineup from Sever to Horansky and the advancement of De Nisco, coach Gary Sheehan seems to have hit the nail on the head. Above all, the line around Mark Sever with his fine hands, the lightning-fast Guillaume Kaser and the strong finisher Jeremy Jabola Prada harmonized perfectly. It was they who posed a particularly great threat offensively with their playful carefreeness.
But goals are needed – with straightforward, efficient play. The best way to rehabilitate is to do so on Tuesday in the home game against newly promoted Chur.
telegram
Winterthur – Olten 3:1 (0:0, 2:1, 1:0)
Deutweg Ice Rink, Winterthur. – 651 spectators. – Referees Castelli/Fritschi, Baumgartner/Wermeille. – Goals: 28. Ogi (Hornecker, Vlcek) 1:0. 32. Lehmann (Hedlund, Lekic) 2:0. 40. Faille (Asselin; March sent off) 2:1. 60. McShane (Hedlund, Hornecker; into the empty net) 3:1. – Penalties: 2 x 2 minutes against Winterthur, 1 x 2 minutes against Olten.
Winterthur: Stettler (Von Burg); Koster, Landolt; March, Ugazzi; Steiner, Ortenszky; Warmbrodt; Kaufmann, McShane, Embacher; Hedlund, Lehmann, Lekic; Antenen, Furrer, Staiger; Hornecker, Ogi, Vlcek.
Olten: Rötheli (Meier); Elsener, Antonietti; Wyss, Moser; Schmuckli, Oejdemark; Blessing, Kurt; Horansky, Faille, Asselin; De Nisco, Weder, Sterchi; Sever, Kaser, Jabola Prada; Froidevaux, Melnalksnis, Rehak.
Notes: Winterthur without Neumatt, Bertschmann, Marti, Muller (all injured). Olten without Burger (injured) and Madaschi (surplus).
