High tension in the final qualifying round of the National League

When the Swiss ice hockey authorities decided to add another dividing line after 10th place and raise the existing one from 8th to 6th place, they wanted to make the league more attractive. After the end of the 24/25 season, it can be said that this goal has been fully achieved.

Two clubs are still fighting for 6th place, which means direct qualification for the quarter-finals, before the final round: Fribourg-Gottéron (80 points) and Kloten (79). Gottéron will host Ambri on Saturday, while Kloten will travel a few kilometers to Zurich to face the ZSC Lions in the derby.

Fribourg against DiDomenico

Fribourg's mission is simple: they have to win within 60 minutes. Because in the event of a tie with Kloten, the Flyers would move on due to their better record in the direct comparisons.

"We know that the last few home games weren't as good as we'd hoped. We had to show a reaction," said Nathan Marchon on Thursday night after Fribourg's win against Lausanne. "With the games in a two-day rhythm, it's a bit like a play-off week. We have to recover and relieve the pressure and emotions so that we're one hundred percent fit on Saturday."

The Freiburg striker's recipe for the weekend is pretty simple: "We have to be physically present. It will be up to us to set the pace. There's still something at stake for Ambri too, so it's up to us to prove that we deserve the top 6."

Ambri has Chris DiDomenico in its ranks, who moved from Fribourg to Ticino at the end of October in exchange for Jakob Lilja. DiDomenico scored 39 points in 34 games for the Leventines. Together with Philippe Maillet and Dominik Kubalik, he forms one of the best three-man chains in Switzerland. And the Canadian loves it when the atmosphere is heated.

"It's clear that there will be a lot of emotion," says Marchon. "'DiDo' is playing with them, but I don't think we should focus on that. We have to think about us first. Maybe some will try to rile him up a bit, but we can't let that distract us. He will try to get into our heads by getting the crowd fired up. That's part of his game."

Five teams for three spots

For Ambri, the play-ins are at stake. With 73 points, coach Luca Cereda's team is in 8th place, but there are only three points between the Ticino side and the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in 12th place. Five teams for three places with no direct confrontation - not even Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, would have dared to write such a script.

Behind Ambri are Langnau with 72 points, Biel with 71, Genève-Servette with 71 and the Lakers with 70. Langnau has the "easiest" last opponent in Ajoie. Biel travels to Lugano, which has to digest its disappointing 13th place, Geneva to Bern, which can still finish 2nd or lose 3rd place. The Lakers welcome Davos.