Swiss Championship 2011/12: A Summary

Shortly before the begin of the season, Swiss ballhockey could celebrate its biggest success ever. The final of the world cup 2011, the tournament for the best European club teams, was plaid between the Oberwil Rebells and Belp. Until to this historic day in August 2011 in Pilsen, only Czech and Slovak teams were in the finals since they started to join the event in the mid-nineties. As in every final Belp and Oberwil met last year the team from Zug won. A few weeks later, the Swiss championship started, Belp faced the SHC La Chaux-de-Fonds, not exactly one of the best teams of the league. It looked like many of the players from Belp thought, that the runner-up of the world cup should win this game anyway. Unfortunately no-body told this to the team of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Belp plaid somewhat arrogant and lost its first game of the season with 7 to 11. In the second game, Belp plaid much better, but as the opponent was Oberwil and the game took place in Zug, this was not good enough. This game was finally lost 4 to 6. Now the scorpions were under pressure. To reach one of the top ranks after the round robin, the team would need to start to win. And the boys around captain Hirschi did. With 10 to 3 against Kernenried, 11 to 10 against Aegerten, 8 to 5 against Mar-tigny and 14 to 1 against Bettlach the team seemed back on track. But many of those victo-ries were achieved because the opponents were weak and not because Belp plaid very strong. And again Belp had to endure some useful teaching lessons. They were able the beat the not very strong team from Bonstetten 7 to 6 in overtime only. Only a week later, they lost in Biel against Aegerten 11 to 16. I looks like that those two lessons did some good to Belp. Since 28th October 2011 no other game was lost so far. The first opponent after the defeat in Biel was Grenchen, leader at that time. Belp won this difficult away game 9 to 7. This was followed by a 15 to 11 win against La Chaux-de-Fonds. Then Oberwil came to Belp on 26th November. Belp won an excellent game of ballhockey 9 to 7. With a 12 to 8 win against Kernenried, the scorpions went into the winter-break. The first two games in 2012 were to decided, if Belp would be able to make the top three of the ranking. The opponent was the same twice, the Sierre Lions. And in their net, the team of the province of Wallis has the most valuable player of the 2011 world championship in Btratislava, Lukas Heczko. Belp needed two wins to overtake the Lions and to establish themselves on the third place. With 5 to 3 at home and 9 to 7 away this goal was achieved. With all ten teams having plaid 14 games the situation in the standings of the round robin looks as follows. With 36 point each Grenchen and Oberwil are at the top of the standings. With Grenchen on the first place as they achieved the higher win in the two direct encounters, Belp follows with 32 points on the third place. To move up to the second, Belp needs to win its four remaining games. But this would bring them only one point behind Grenchen while the distance towards Oberwil would remain the same. So a second place is only possible if the two top teams will lose further points. The good news is, that the Sierre Lions on the fourth place are already five points behind the scorpions, while the fifth, Aegerten-Biel, is already 12 points behind. At the end of the day, the three points traded away in the very first game of the season in La Chaux-de-Fonds may hurt Belp hard and cost them the home advantage in the playoff semifinals. The SHC Bettlach, the team of the other Canadian player currently playing in Switzerland, Rob Ryhorchuk, lies currently on the sixth place, two points behind Aegerten-Biel and one point before Bonstetten.