Davos and Lugano take playoff lead

Davos players Häller (left) and Fischer (right) try to block Kloten's Rufener Keystone

Championship favourites Davos and Lugano have both taken a 2-1 lead in the Swiss ice hockey playoffs.

Davos defeated rivals Kloten 6-4 to take the third round of the best-of-seven playoff series, while Lugano notched up a 3-2 win over the Zurich Lions to give the side from Ticino the advantage going into the fourth round.

Just over 5000 spectators turned up at the ice stadium in Davos to see the home side steal an early advantage over the visitors, taking the first two goals of the match within the first period of play.

Kloten fought valiantly to redress the balance during the second and third periods, but by then the damage had been done and even a last-minute goal from Kostovic wasn’t enough to turn the match around.

Down in Ticino, Lugano and the Lions played a tit-for-tat game on the ice as each side allowed the other to score in turn.

At two goals a piece going into the final period, it was up to Lugano’s Fuchs to steal ahead of the pack, give his team the upper hand and ensure the visitors would be returning home to lick their wounds and prepare for revenge.

The teams will meet again for the fourth round of the playoff series on Thursday.

swissinfo with agencies