Gregory BeaudJournalist Blick
Since November 6, 2022, Geoff Ward has been at the head of Lausanne HC. It has been almost three years since the Canadian took care of the Lions masterfully. Under his leadership, the Vaudois played in two finals in a row and took a step forward in their ability to play at the highest level with consistency.
Seeing the Vaudoise Aréna team string together four defeats in a row in the championship is therefore nothing normal. If we add the rout in Grenoble in the Champions Hockey League, the LHC is down to five losses in a row. Still as stoic, Geoff Ward doesn’t take offense and prefers to bring out his favorite metaphor, that of snooker: “It’s not the points you score that count, but the ones you leave to your opponent.” In Geneva, Lausanne left a lot of points on “the table”. Interview with the beaten technician.
Geoff, it looks like the matches that were going in your favor at the start of the season are now swinging the other way. How do you analyze this Sunday’s?
I think we played well overall. We were a little slow at the start and we had four bad minutes at the end of the second period, but the rest of the time, the team was solid. During this complicated period, it’s not so much that we’re playing badly, it’s that we’re playing inconsistently. Against Bienne, we had a good second third, but an average first and third. Against Zurich, there were some very good passages too. We simply have to manage to deliver a good 60 full minutes.
This is the first time that you have experienced a series of defeats since your arrival. How do you manage it?
There are always reasons for defeat. We must understand which ones and correct them. I told the guys that hockey is like snooker: it’s not just what you put in, it’s also what you leave out. And at the moment, we are giving too many opportunities to our opponents. We need to tighten this up. The team has played a lot lately and had few practices. You can feel it. A good week of training would do us good. But no one is hiding behind that. We are on the right track, our matches are becoming more complete, but it is not yet enough.
Are you looking forward to the Champions Hockey League match on Wednesday as training?
This is an opportunity to put our game in order. A good match in the Champions Hockey League can revive us before the weekend, while a bad one could leave us in doubt. We must seize this opportunity to correct what we have identified as problematic. Nobody is discouraged, the guys work hard. We will continue to build on the positive things seen this afternoon.
Geneva started very strong, being physical from the start. Did you expect such a start?
Yes, that’s their style, especially at home. They want to set the tone from the start. We knew how to get through this moment and then find our rhythm. I didn’t find the match particularly physical, but their energetic start was expected.
Did the famous 11-0 in Lausanne leave its mark?
No, I don’t think so. There was enough time between the two matches and a lot has happened since then, including a change of coach. But players never completely forget these kinds of defeats. Especially those who bowed. It can even serve as motivation. That said, I don’t think it had a negative effect on us today.
What about Fabian Heldner and Inaki Baragano?
I hope they can come back soon. Heldner, it’s day to day. Baragano is more uncertain. If we were in the playoffs, he could probably play, but we don’t want to aggravate his injury. He needs to get back to 100%, even if it takes a little longer.
|
Team |
J. |
DB. |
PT. |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
 HC Davos |
14 |
27 |
38 |
|
|
2 |
 Rapperswil-Jona Lakers |
14 |
16 |
32 |
|
|
3 |
 Lausanne HC |
15 |
19 |
27 |
|
|
4 |
 Genève-Servette HC |
14 |
-12 |
26 |
|
|
5 |
 HC Fribourg-Gottéron |
14 |
11 |
24 |
|
|
6 |
 EV Zoug |
14 |
-1 |
23 |
|
|
7 |
 ZSC Lions |
14 |
10 |
23 |
|
|
8 |
 EHC Bienne |
13 |
4 |
19 |
|
|
9 |
 SCL Tigers |
14 |
-9 |
17 |
|
|
10 |
 EHC Kloten |
15 |
-8 |
17 |
|
|
11 |
 HC Lugano |
14 |
-6 |
16 |
|
|
12 |
 SC Berne |
13 |
-11 |
14 |
|
|
13 |
 Hc ambri-pious |
14 |
-17 |
13 |
|
|
14 |
 HC Ajoie |
14 |
-23 |
5 |
