Andreas Ambuhl and Team Switzerland had a successful run in Torino, beating hockey powers like Canada and the Czech Republic.

Swiss should exit with heads high
By Rich Libero | NHL.com
Feb. 22, 2006

The Swiss got a taste of what it was like to swim with the big fish and now, after losing 6-2 to Sweden in the Olympic quarterfinals, they don't like the flavor of defeat.

"We can't be happy with tonight," Swiss goaltender Martin Gerber said. "But what we did in the first round was really a good foundation. It was really a big team effort. That's something we have to build on for the future. We have to push it further. We now know how to qualify for the quarterfinals. Now, we just have to find a way to win those games."

One step at a time, they say. But for the Swiss, beating Canada and the Czech Republic in back-to-back quarterfinals matches was akin to Neil Armstrong stepping onto the lunar surface -- no one thought the journey achievable until they witnessed it firsthand.

How did the Swiss do it?

Related Links NHL.com's Olympics section Sweden avoids upset this time 2006 Switzerland Team roster Exclusive 1-on-1 player interviews 2006 Olympic schedule, results 2006 Olympics Archive

They did it with a mean forecheck, foot speed, balance on the puck and along the wall, three NHL-level players -- two of them in goal and one on defense -- and a Stanley Cup winner in Paul DiPietro.

Carolina's Gerber and Colorado's David Aebischer provided the Swiss with excellent goaltending while Montreal's Mark Streit -- the team captain -- was an inspiration on the blue line. He scored the game-winning goal in Switzerland's 3-2 shock over the Czechs.

DiPietro, who won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993, is a revered 35-year-old Swiss League veteran. His two goals against Canada, along with Gerber's sparkling netminding, help the Swiss earn the No. 2 spot in Group A behind unbeaten Finland.

"I think we had a positive performance in the tournament," forward Romano Lemm said. "We beat two world-class teams, made it to the quarterfinals and came second in our group. But our goal was to make it beyond the quarterfinals. We had to realize that we are not ready yet, but I hope that we will be in the future."

The Swiss concluded their preliminary-round play with a 3-3 tie against Italy on Tuesday. The Italians nearly won the game but Italian defenseman Mario Chittaroni's ill-advised pass led to the equalizer with 3:30 to play in the game.

While Switzerland didn't have anything to play for except the No. 2 spot in the group, they appeared a little ragged in the Italy game and the fatigue seemed to spill over into the first period against the Swedes.

"We expected more," Streit said. "We lacked the energy and didn't skate enough. The Swedes took advantage of our condition."

But that's what a veteran team, with incredible talent and depth can do to an upstart like the Swiss. The Swedes can roll four lines of NHL-caliber players at the Swiss without missing a beat; meaning the Swiss had to work that much harder to prevail.

Even after yielding six goals to Team Sweden, Martin Gerber likes Slovakia's chances.

"We expected a better performance, that's for sure," Lemm said. "We didn't play on the level we played against the Czechs and Canada. We lacked the speed, didn't skate enough and our defense wasn't as good. We played a good third period, but we didn't play like this throughout the whole game. We didn't do enough in the first and second period."

The Swiss played well enough to exit the first period down 2-1. But the second period proved their undoing as the Swedes wore out their defense by cycling.

"We tried to be patient," Swedish defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "We told ourselves to be patient. We waited for chances and we scored on the chances we got."

Sweden outshot the Swiss in the second period as they extended their lead to 5-1. But the Swiss stormed into the third period and notched a goal in just 40 seconds. They outshot the Swedes 14-2 in the period, but of the two Swedish shots, one went in.

Despite letting in six goals, Gerber was unimpressed with Sweden, a sure sign of a team that's starting to flex its muscles.

"I've seen the Slovaks play and the Czechs," Gerber said. "They've got more speed than Sweden. Sweden with some luck, they can battle around, but I will take the Slovaks."

All in all, the Swiss found this Olympiad to be an important step.

"The tournament was extremely tiring," Streit said. "It was tough. Nevertheless, we are satisified. We learned a lot, especially how to play a tournament on a high level over two weeks."