Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Top hockey clash ends in draw

A crush of bodies in front of the Lugano goal in the clash against Zurich Lions Keystone

The latest tussle between Switzerland's top two ice hockey sides ended in a stalemate on Tuesday night as the Zurich Lions and Lugano ground out a 1-1 draw.

In a match dominated by defensive play, Zurich appeared to have snatched victory late on, after Michel Zeiter put the home side ahead in the 56th minute. But the home supporters in Zurich’s Hallenstadion were to go home disappointed.

With just 15 seconds of regular time remaining, Jean-Jacques Aeschlimann equalised for Lugano. Overtime failed to separate last year’s Swiss playoff finalists, leaving the Lions four points clear of their Ticinese rivals at the top of the league table.

Third-placed Davos were unable to take advantage of the result in Zurich, after losing 2-1 at home to Fribourg. Zug, meanwhile, moved to within two points of Davos after thrashing Bern 8-4.

Bottom side La Chaux-de-Fonds were also in a high-scoring mood, enjoying a 5-3 win over Rapperswil. The victory was only the fourth of the season for La Chaux-de-Fonds who still require several miracles to pull clear of the play-outs.

Chur are almost certain to be joining them, after being beaten 4-1 by Langnau, Chur’s 23rd defeat of the season.

In the night’s other match, Ambri-Piotta stayed a couple of points clear of the cut-off line after a 1-1 draw away to Kloten.

swissinfo with agencies

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR