The Zurich fans are rubbing their eyes in disbelief after just half an hour. The scoreboard shows 4:0 in favor of the visiting team from Salzburg. What’s happening with Zett? True, Weber and Grant are being rested for this match, but quality shouldn’t be in question even with their absences. It seems the ZSC Lions have genuinely woken up on the wrong side of the bed. In the first 20 minutes, they manage just 4 shots on goal, and those are rarely dangerous. It’s clear that Marc Crawford is fuming on the bench, trying to get his team back on track. The halftime talk was likely less than pleasant, as the visiting team leads 3:0 at the first break. Hochkofler, Schneider, and Murphy score for the Austrians between the 3rd and 14th minutes. And barely back on the ice, Thaler increases the lead for the away team to that 4:0.
Is there still a chance?
However, the Sechseläuten march as a goal song is set to sound this Sunday afternoon. Denis Malgin scores with an assist from Balcers to make it 1:4. From that moment on, Salzburg switches to defensive mode and tries to maintain the score, even though there is still plenty of time left on the clock. Scoring chances for the Austrians become scarce, and the ZSC Lions fans enjoy a more offensive lineup from their team as the game goes on. But in the second period, no more than Malgin’s lone goal is achieved. Nevertheless, the attendance remains commendable: 3,800 spectators are present this afternoon as well.
Not efficient
At the end of the day, the ZSC Lions end up with 31 shots on goal compared to just 18 for Salzburg. Unfortunately, the Zurich finishes are too imprecise, and RB goalie Kickert performs too well this Sunday. The guest’s goalkeeper has a flawless performance and hardly lets anything through. Lehtonen, Malgin, or Andrighetto fail repeatedly against the strong goalkeeper of RB Salzburg. Yet, hope arises. Santtu Kinnunen reduces the deficit to 2:4 with fifteen minutes left. The Zurich team also has a power play to somehow save themselves into overtime in the closing minutes. But that does not materialize in the end – Zett loses for the first time in this year’s Champions Hockey League campaign. The focus shifts to next Tuesday at 18:00 when Biel’s Tissot Arena hosts the defending champions, ZSC Lions, for the season opener of the National League 2024/25.
(Marko Filipovic)