Lausanne HC defeats Genève-Servette 6-5 in shootout after three late goals

Early derby action and first-period ejection

The Léman derby between Lausanne HC and Genève-Servette at a sold-out Vaudoise Arena began with an open, high-tempo first period in front of 9,600 spectators. Lausanne entered the match in the lower tier of the National League standings after collecting only two wins from their opening six fixtures, following a 0:3 shutout defeat away at HC Ajoie. Genève-Servette arrived in contrasting form, occupying 2nd place in the table on the back of four consecutive league victories. The visiting side struck first in the 6th minute when Mantas Ignativicius found the net to give Geneva an early 0:1 lead. Axel Simic answered for the home team in the 10th minute, finishing an assist from Nathan Vouardoux to tie the game at 1:1. Roger Karrer restored Geneva's advantage in the 12th minute following a pass from Matthew Verboon, before Mischa Rüegsegger tied the score at 2:2 in the 14th minute off a setup from Yannick Zehnder. Moments later in the 14th minute, Genève-Servette top scorer Jesse Puljujärvi was ejected from the game after delivering a check to the head of Lausanne defenseman Erik Brännström, earning a disciplinary penalty and an early trip to the locker room.

Genève-Servette builds a three-goal advantage

Despite losing their primary offensive contributor for the remainder of the evening, the players coached by Sam Hallam maintained tactical discipline and capitalized on their scoring opportunities during the second period. After a relatively quiet opening to the middle frame, Genève-Servette produced a quick two-goal sequence to take control of the contest. Matthew Verboon broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute to put the visiting side ahead 2:3. Three minutes later, in the 36th minute, Arnaud Sutter extended the lead to 2:4 after converting an assist from Sakari Manninen. The visitors carried their two-goal cushion into the final period and continued to limit Lausanne's offensive production. Simon Le Coultre added a fifth goal for Geneva in the 56th minute off another setup by Verboon, giving Genève-Servette a 2:5 lead with barely four minutes left on the clock. With Geneva supporters celebrating in the away block, the contest appeared settled in favor of the visitors.

Three goals in 101 seconds force overtime

Trailing by three goals with under three minutes remaining in regulation, Lausanne initiated a rapid comeback that erased the entire deficit in just 101 seconds. Curtis Lazar started the surge with 2:56 left on the clock (at 57:04), converting on a power play with assists from Zehnder and Brännström to reduce the gap to 3:5. Only 28 seconds later, Ahti Oksanen beat the Geneva goaltender off passes from Vouardoux and Romain Loeffel, bringing the score to 4:5 as Lausanne pulled their goaltender for a six-on-five advantage. The home team kept the extra attacker on the ice, and Drake Caggiula scored the equalizing goal in the 59th minute (at 58:45), exactly 73 seconds after Oksanen's strike, sending the home crowd into celebration and forcing a five-minute overtime period at 5:5.

Brännström secures victory in the shootout

Genève-Servette dominated puck possession throughout the five-minute overtime session, leaving Lausanne with few opportunities to control the play, but neither side managed to score a winning goal. The match proceeded to a penalty shootout, where shooters on both teams struggled to beat the opposing goaltenders after a high-scoring regulation period. Erik Brännström, who had returned to the game after absorbing the head check in the opening period, emerged as the only player from either side to convert his penalty attempt. The shootout conversion gave Lausanne the extra point and sealed a 6:5 victory, snapping a two-game losing streak and moving the club up to 10th place in the National League standings. Genève-Servette remained in 2nd place following the shootout loss, but now trails table leaders ZSC Lions by 11 points on dropped points.