How Fribourg Reversed the Match After a Slow Start
The sky above the BCF Arena was overcast on Thursday for the match against Ajoie, following a day of steady rain falling on the rink’s roof. Despite the gloom, Fribourg returned to victory in the National League on Thursday.
The match began with early pressure from the visitors. HC Ajoie generated twice as many shots as Fribourg during the opening period, benefiting from two power-play opportunities while the hosts struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Yet the first period ended scoreless.
The momentum shifted decisively in the second frame when Fribourg capitalized on power-play chances. Christoph Bertschy opened the scoring at the 22nd minute with a long-range shot during a man-advantage, and Anthony Richard doubled the lead four minutes later under identical circumstances. Just 27 seconds after Richard’s goal, Henrik Borgström netted Fribourg’s third tally, prompting Ville Peltonen to pull goaltender Noah Patenaude in favor of Antoine Keller.
Goaltending Changes and Mid-Game Adjustments
Keller’s introduction immediately faced a difficult test. Marcus Sörensen sent a pass toward the Ajoie defense zone that deflected off the skate of Deniss Smirnovs and slipped between Keller’s pads to make it 4-0 in the 28th minute.
Retrouvez les highlights de la rencontre de National League entre Ajoie et Langnau. https://t.co/KukcHQgy9s
Ajoie managed a brief response when Kevin Fey beat Fribourg goaltender Ludovic Waeber at the 29th minute. Hedlund restored a four-goal cushion at 35 minutes following a setup by Schmid, before Petri Nättinen added Ajoie’s second goal at 39 minutes to close out a chaotic middle frame at 5-2.
Sörensen’s Early Exit and Team Health Concerns
Fribourg played the final period without Marcus Sörensen. Sörensen absorbed an early hit from Kevin Fey that briefly left the forward shaken on the bench. Although he returned to record an assist and a goal during the second period, coach Roger Rönnberg held him out of the third period as a precaution after Sörensen had missed Tuesday’s Champions Hockey League game against HK Nitra due to illness.
Oui, il a reçu cette charge mais ce n’est rien qui m’inquiète à long terme,
Roger Rönnberg said, explaining that he chose to send the forward to the weight room rather than risk further injury with the score at 5-2. C’était par précaution,
Rönnberg added. Il aurait pu jouer, mais j’ai préféré l’envoyer en salle de force.
The club played without Andrea Glauser, Kevin Nicolet, Jan Dorthe, Michael Kapla, and Ludvig Johnson. Samuel Walser also momentarily left the ice for the locker room after being struck by a jurassian shot, though the number 23 ultimately returned to finish the contest. However, sports director Gerd Zenhäusern indicated prior to faceoff that Johnson and Kapla are progressing well and could return for Saturday’s fixture against Zurich, while Nicolet and Dorthe require further medical evaluation.
Standings Implications After Thursday Night
The five-goal margin was finalized in the third period when Borgström scored his second goal of the evening on another power-play at the 56th minute, and Bertschy added his second with two minutes remaining. Following this success, Fribourg climbed to 3rd place in the standings with 18 points from 11 matches, while Ajoie slipped to 6th place with 16 points from 12 games.
Fribourg returns to action on Saturday away against Zurich, while the extent of recovery for the team’s injured contingent will be assessed closer to game time.
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