It was a well deserved win for Russia. They played disciplined through out the game, put early pressure on the Swiss side on the forechecking, thus not giving them room for a proper transition game and looked like the were generally happy in controling the game by monopolizing the puck. I think Russia saved quite some energy today. Something most other quarterfinalist might can't afford.
With the gameplan the Swiss had, it's crucial that the transition game works properly, which wasn't the case, partly forced by the Russians. So then to stay competitive, you either need an individual effort to gain an advantage, or have to rely on a quality PP. PP was poor and beside Nussbaumer and Knak, none of the Swiss forwards were confident enough to try something with the puck, that's just not enough. So it all came down to lucky bounces to win the game, which didn't came in spades today.
Overall I think the Swiss had a excellent tournament, regarding this year's talentpool. Lucky enough to be in the weaker group, but still 3 wins. One against Finland, and a blow-out against Slovakia, a rare occasion, that's more than one could have hoped for. The quality and depth regarding GKs and Ds was there for a bigger splash, but unfortunately not among Fs.
For next year Switzerland will lose all its GK and D quality, and as it looks today, the 01ers forwards have even less quality than the 00ers, and no one even remotely comparable to Nussbaumer's on-ice presence.
Alot will depend on Knak. And even Austria could be a potential danger if a gamebreaker like Rossi will be there.
With the gameplan the Swiss had, it's crucial that the transition game works properly, which wasn't the case, partly forced by the Russians. So then to stay competitive, you either need an individual effort to gain an advantage, or have to rely on a quality PP. PP was poor and beside Nussbaumer and Knak, none of the Swiss forwards were confident enough to try something with the puck, that's just not enough. So it all came down to lucky bounces to win the game, which didn't came in spades today.
Overall I think the Swiss had a excellent tournament, regarding this year's talentpool. Lucky enough to be in the weaker group, but still 3 wins. One against Finland, and a blow-out against Slovakia, a rare occasion, that's more than one could have hoped for. The quality and depth regarding GKs and Ds was there for a bigger splash, but unfortunately not among Fs.
For next year Switzerland will lose all its GK and D quality, and as it looks today, the 01ers forwards have even less quality than the 00ers, and no one even remotely comparable to Nussbaumer's on-ice presence.
Alot will depend on Knak. And even Austria could be a potential danger if a gamebreaker like Rossi will be there.
