HC Ajoie did not make the weight on Sunday in Rapperswil (5-0). Already beaten on Friday in Porrentruy by the same opponent (1-4), the HCA completely went through during the “return” match on St. Gallen soil. The absence of American defender TJ Brennan for family reasons (birth of his first child) does not explain everything.
The coach of HC Ajoie, Julien Vauclair, also sounded the alarm after 14 minutes of play. Roman Cervenka, the ace of Rapperswil, had just found the fault and offered a three-goal lead to Rapperswil (3-0). On the bench of the Jurassians during this dead time, Vauclair above all asked his players to put a little heart into the work. Until then, the HCA, already led 2-0 after five minutes of play, had simply been transparent. The difference in level between Rapperswil (3rd in the National League) and the red lantern was all the more marked in a one-sided match.
Not much seemed to be able to stop Rapperswil on Sunday, who led 4-0 before halftime following a power play success from Tyler Moy. The Jurassians, at least, managed to come to their senses and avoid a real correction.
Still, the HCA, which was however in an extremely positive dynamic lately, will have to quickly turn the page and quickly forget this weekend which will not have earned it any points (defeat on Friday 1-4 and Sunday 5-0). Still last in the standings, the Jura residents are now nine units behind Lausanne (13th) with two more matches than the Vaudois.
The next meeting will take place on Friday in Lugano. The HCA will then play three of their next four matches in Porrentruy, including a derby against neighboring Biel next Saturday.
