It’s already the grimace soup at HC Ajoie. After four days, he still has not achieved the slightest success. Not even the slightest point. As often since the restart, it was around the half-hour mark that the Vouivres broke down. On Tuesday, Rapperswil only needed 27 seconds to settle the matter and confirm the impression that beating Ajoie is more of a professional duty than a sporting feat.
Mute offensively during their last two outings, the Jurassians, deprived once again of eight injured players, nevertheless launched their evening with flying colors. After 30 seconds, Finnish defender Niklas Friman fired a perfect shot to open the scoring.
The euphoria lasted in the blink of an eye: 79 seconds later, Tyler Moy took advantage of poor defense to equalize, just to remind everyone that the match would not be won on an isolated flash. In the meantime, Victor Rask had the knack of hitting both Damiano Ciaccio posts on the same throw (0’44), as if to illustrate that it is not just bad luck that plagues Porrentruy.
Missed penalty
The HCA then benefited from a great opportunity to get back in front, but Emils Veckaktins missed his penalty shot awarded following an irregularity committed on his person by Matthew Kellenberger (8th). All it took was a punishment inflicted on Greg Ireland’s players for this duel to swing definitively in favor of “Rappi”. Two seconds before Pierre-Edouard Bellemare returned to the game, Malte Strömwall sent the puck into the Ajoulote window (30th). Twenty-seven seconds later, Moy scored his second goal, taking advantage of a new local generosity.
Generosity will still be a question in the last period. After pouring out a lot of energy at the end of the middle third in the hope of getting back on track, Ajoie conceded the 1-4 following a big error by Friman in his defense zone (48th). The new Finnish full-back, already involved in several goals since the start of the season, seems for the moment more productive for the opponent than for his own colors.
The rest of the program for Ajoie is a trip to Lugano on Friday (7:45 p.m.) and the reception in Bern on Saturday (7:45 p.m.).
Ajoie – Rapperswil 2-4 (1-1 0-2 1-1)
Raiffeisen Arena. 3437 spectators. Referees: MM. Borga, Arpagaus, Bichsel and Humair.
Goals: 1st (0’30) Friman (Bellemare) 1-0, 2nd Moy (Jelovac) 1-1, 30th (29’11) Strömwall (Dünner/5 c 4) 1-2, 30th (29’38) Moy (Strömwall, Albrecht) 1-3, 48th Moy (Strömwall) 1-4, 52nd Devos (Wick) 2-4.
Joy: Ciaccio; Friman, Berthoud; Fischer, Anttoni Honka; Pintail, Nussbaumer; Christe; Robin, Bellemare, Bozon; Wick, Devos, Pedretti; Mottet, Gauthier, Nättinen; Sopa, Schläpfer, Veckaktins; Schmutz. Coach: Ireland.
Rapperswil: Punnenovs; Julius Honka, Maier; Kellenberger, Larsson; Capaul, Jelovac; Dufner; Lammer, Dünner, Wetter; Fritz, Rask, Zangger; Moy, Albrecht, Strömwall; Graf, Taibel, Embacher; Hofer. Coach: Lundskog.
Penalties: 2 x 2′ against Ajoie, 1 x 2′ against Rapperswil.
Notes: Ajoie without Cavalleri, Fey, Garessus, Hazen, Pouilly, Romanenghi, Thiry, Turkulainen (injured) nor Conz (extra). Rapperswil without Jensen (injured) or Henauer (extra). Shot on Rask’s post (0’44). Veckaktins misses the conversion of a penalty (8th). Time out requested by Ajoie (59th), who takes out his goalkeeper for a sixth outfield player (58’53 to 60’00).