The series between Lausanne and Langnau is characterized by home wins, tough duels and controversial decisions. Saku Mäenalanen helps the Tigers to a belle - which the Finn could miss.
24.03.2025, 01:27
SDA
Saku Mäenalanen is not a born scorer. The Finn scored 18 points in 27 appearances for the SCL Tigers in the past National League qualifiers. And yet the 30-year-old is an important part of the Emmental's team structure. Because, as a two-way forward, he also takes on defensive tasks, closes holes and works consistently at the back.
On Sunday, not even a minute had been played in Game 6 of the playoff quarter-final series against Lausanne when Mäenalanen nevertheless put on a show on offense and put the underdogs ahead after 58 seconds. And when Oskars Lapinskis increased the lead to 2:0 just over a minute later, the Tiger on the Ilfis was dancing for good.
"We got off to a good start," says Mäenalanen. "That was very important." He knows that this early cushion gave all Langnau players confidence for a game in which nothing less than the rest of the season was at stake. Victory or sandy beach, so to speak.
Mäenalanen's revenge
In this respect, it came as little surprise that the intensity of the game was high right from the start. After a hard check by Aurélien Marti against Juuso Riikola, the Tigers' Finnish defenseman was taken to the dressing room early in the first period. It was a scene that must have made many a level-headed Emmental player jump out of their skin, as the Lausanne defenseman's elbow check was actually directed at the opponent's head. But went unpunished by the referees.
Saku Mäenalanen probably also had this action in mind when he went for a hard check on Marti behind the goal in the third period, which first sent him flying into the boards and then bouncing onto the ice. The referees' whistle remained silent.
Mäenalanen doesn't want to dwell on it after the game. "No comment, that's part of playoff field hockey. It's my job to play hard." And yet it doesn't seem out of the question that Ryan Gardner will have more work to do before Game 7 on Tuesday. The league's Player Safety Officer has had to deal with controversial decisions on several occasions during this surprisingly competitive series. The fact that he refrained from retrospectively suspending the Lausanne defenceman after a check by Gavin Bayreuther against a linesman at the end of Game 4 earned Gardner a lot of criticism.
It will therefore be interesting to see whether proceedings will be initiated against Mäenalanen and Marti, which could mean that both players will not be able to take part in the all-important Game 7 in Lausanne on Tuesday.
Historic opportunity
While the sovereign qualification winner LHC has to avert a frighteningly early end to the season in this Belle, the SCL Tigers have a historic opportunity: In their third playoff appearance, the Emmentalers could advance to the semi-finals for the first time ever, where the next championship favorite, the ZSC Lions, would be waiting.
Regardless of whether he will be able to lace up his skates or not, one thing is clear for Saku Mäenalanen: "We have no pressure. All the pressure is on Lausanne. It will be fun."
