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EVZ squeeze home in overtime

 EVZ were behind for most of the match, survived a 5-on-3 in the dying seconds and nevertheless emerged victorious from Les Vernets, defeating Servette Geneva in a shoot-out after the match had finished 1-1.
 
Geneva took the lead after just 85 seconds on a breakaway, and almost doubled their lead on the first siren, only for video evidence to show that perhaps a millimetre of the puck had failed to cross the line behind Jussi Markkanen.
 
EVZ breathed a sigh of relief and set about getting back into the match, but they had three more minors blown against them by their “friend” Nadir Mandioni in the second period to go with the two they had taken in the first, which hampered their progress.
 
Zug finally had a man advantage of their own to start the third period, and they took full advantage, Corsin Casutt feeding Björn Christen who waltzed between two defenders and then shoved the puck over the line to make it 1-1. This must have displeased referee Mandioni, who decided to take matters into his own hands – with 34 seconds remaining, he whistled minors against Josh Holden and Glen Metropolit (back in the team at the expense of Esa Pirnes), meaning that Servette finished regulation time and then began overtime with two minutes of 5-on-3!
 
Markkanen made two enormous saves and Zug somehow survived, but could not capitalise when the zebras whistled another over-zealous minor, this time against one of the home team. In the shoot-out Markannen saved the first that came his way, Christen converted Zug’s opener and the team were never headed. Andy Wozniewski made it 2-1, Markkanen stoned all but one of the Geneva attempts and Metropolit finally made sure that the extra point would be heading back to Central Switzerland.
 
This was play-off-style hockey; with Zug doing what they had to do to find a way to win. And it is a good job that they did, with Davos and Fribourg both grabbing three points on the night. Davos now have 90 points, three clear of Zug and Fribourg but HCD must travel to the Bossard Arena on Saturday night in a match which will go a long way to deciding who is the number one seed, with only four games remaining in the regular season.
 
Drew Lilley


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