Pixbo IBK v SV Wiler-Ersigen
Pixbo IBK hosted the first semi-final at Wallenstam Arena. In the pre-match interview, Jan Bürki said in fluent Swedish (having played in Kalmarsund before) that they know Pixbo and have played against them before, for example in the Czech Open. Thinking this might have helped the Swiss team today against Pixbo was definitely a wrong assumption. Wiler-Ersigen did start the scoring, when they got an early power play and Nico Salo scored the first goal. After that, it was a Pixbo show. Jakob Heins evened the score and went on to score another goal pretty quickly. Filip Wramdemark scored two more goals and took Pixbo to a 4-1 lead. Marco Louis brought Wiler one goal closer and the Swiss Team was hoping that this would bring them back to the game. Pixbo and Arvid Äse decided otherwise. Äse scored two goals in the second period (5-2 goal being particularly a nice one) and the Foxes were already in a 6-2 lead when the final period started. SV Wiler-Ersigen tried to come back to the game and pulled their goalkeeper out but this mostly gave the chance for Pixbo to score few empty net goals. Final score 11-4 for Pixbo and first win in the semi-finals.
— I think we started a bit slow. We gained momentum when we had a few goals in the first period, came with a solid lead and then built on it all the way through. I think it was pretty obvious that we would win, but we kept fighting and I’m proud of our performance, said Pixbo’s Felix Lanver (1+1) in the post-match interview. Nico Salo on the other hand was sure that SV Wiler-Ersigen would bounce back on the home court and we will see if that is the case in two weeks time!
Next match: SV Wiler-Ersigen v Pixbo IBK on Friday 15th November 2024 at 19:00 CET at Sporthalle Grossmatt, Kirchberg, Switzerland
Florbal MB v Nokian KrP
It was back to Mladá Boleslav as after two victories against strong Swiss side Zug United in the Quarter-Finals, the hosts took on Nokian KrP after they themselves had overcome Storvreta from Sweden in the Quarters. Nokian KrP came into this match having only lost one match all season, to TPS in the Finnish league but they leave with 2 defeats on the season as Mladá Boleslav pulled away after 2 tight periods to stamp their mark and authority on the match in the later stages of the contest. For the first half of the match it was extremely tight with goals flying back and forth, with every lead quickly cut out. However the team spirit and strength in depth for the Czech hosts came through in a big way, 7 different scorers on the night with goals coming from all 3 lines of Mladá Boleslav. Finnish defender Iiro Lankinen was the one to gain the lead for his Mladá Boleslav team, from which they never looked back. Further strikes from Patrik Suchánek , Adam Hemerka and 2 from Adam Delong meant Mladá Boleslav pulled away into the moonlight as their 5 goal lead was too much for Nokian KrP to claw their way back into things even though the Finnish side got two back with extra attacker goals from Mikko Laakso and Juuso Ahola.
— “It was very tough and difficult, we expected them to be good and tough with the ball, which they were. We prepared well and believed the whole game we were going to win which we did. We have to be even tougher and stronger in the 2nd game” said Mladá Boleslav’s Adam Hemerka (1+2) in the post-match interview. Nokian KrP captain Joona Rantala stated “The opponent (Mladá Boleslav) is a really good team, we have to better in the 2nd game. There’s just a few things that we have to do better and then we are ready”
Next match: SV Wiler-Ersigen v Pixbo IBK on Thursday 14th November 2024 at 17:30 CET at AGCO Power Arena, Nokian, Finland
