Genève-Servette Recovers from Late Scare to Crush Fribourg-Gottéron 7-3
Genève-Servette survived a frantic late-game surge to defeat Fribourg-Gottéron 7-3 on April 6, 2026, in the second matchup of the National League semi-finals. Even as the final score suggests a blowout, the Grenat secured the victory after nearly tossing away a dominant early advantage.
The contest began as a one-sided affair, with Servette asserting control from the opening whistle. V. Saarijarvi opened the scoring just two minutes into the game, followed by a goal from G. Chanton at the 23-minute mark. J. Vesey and T. Bozon extended the lead shortly after, leaving Fribourg staring at a daunting 4-0 deficit by the 33rd minute.
However, the momentum shifted violently in the third period. Fribourg-Gottéron launched a desperate rally, with J. Sprunger cutting the lead to 4-1 in the 45th minute. C. Bertschy then took over, netting two quick goals in the 48th and 51st minutes to bring the score to a nail-biting 4-3. Despite the sudden pressure, Servette faced a late scare before finally shutting the door.
The Grenat regained their composure to seal the win with a three-goal barrage in the closing minutes. M. Verboon scored at 55′, followed by J. Rutta at 58′, and V. Praplan capping off the night at 59′ to finalize the 7-3 result. The win allows Servette to answer back aggressively after a tough start to the series.
The two teams had previously met on April 4, 2026, in Game 1, where Fribourg-Gottéron claimed a 3-1 victory at home. That opening game, which featured Swiss slopestyle Olympic champion Mathilde Gremaud in the stands, saw Jesse Puljujärvi provide Servette an early 1-0 lead. Fribourg overturned the deficit through Attilio Biasca and Christoph Bertschy, with Nathan Marchon adding an empty-net goal to secure the win.
In other National League playoff news, Davos caused a major upset by defeating the Zurich Lions, handing the regular-season champions their first loss of the postseason.
