SC Bern is back in the quarter-final series against Fribourg-Gottéron. The Bernese win Game 3 at home 3:2 after overtime and reduce the deficit in the best-of-7 series to 1:2.
18.03.2025, 23:05
SDA
As in the first game of this Zähringen playoff derby, the decision was made after regulation time. However, the 17,031 spectators in the sold-out PostFinance Arena did not have to wait quite as long this time as on Friday, when Lucas Wallmark (89) scored shortly before midnight to give the visitors victory. The Czech Lukas Klok scored Bern's much-acclaimed winner in the 69th minute.
It was the first win for the SCB against their arch-rivals, having previously been beaten four times in overtime in five games.
As great as Bern's jubilation at the redemptive victory was, the reaction to the 3-0 loss in Freiburg on Sunday was not a confident one. It remains to be seen whether the famous momentum will now change.
The Bernese, who were without their injured league top scorer Austin Czarnik, were determined to make their mark with a physical presence right from the start, but Fribourg reacted calmly and took the lead in the 15th minute on the powerplay through captain Julien Sprunger.
However, Fribourg penalties allowed SCB to get back into the game. Marco Lehmann (25') equalized the score at 1:1 during a five-minute overtime situation after Andreas Borgmann was excluded from the game for a rough check on Marc Marchon in the boards. Fabian Ritzmann (44) gave Bern the 2:1 lead a few seconds after a penalty against Jakob Lilja had expired.
It was thanks to Yannick Rathgeb that SCB ultimately had to go into overtime in their second home playoff game. The national defenseman tied the game at 2-2 with one and a half minutes left in regulation time, shortly after Fribourg goalie Reto Berra had made a brilliant save against Marc Marchon to prevent Bern from securing an early victory.
