Coming off a convincing win and a week to prepare, Belpa was not about to roll out the red carpet to first place Sierre. Having lost earlier in the season to Belpa, Sierre was looking for redemption. As mentioned in my last blog, the two points that were up for grabs would not affect the standings in any way but both teams knew it was a big game heading into the playoffs.

You definitely wanted to be a spectator at this game. There was enough intensity, lots of emotions and plenty of goals. The teams combined for 84 minutes in penalties, in what was certainly a playoff-like atmosphere. Although Sierre had the #1 powerplay in the league, they were only able to muster one powerplay goal to Belpa's five. With so many penalties being handed out, special teams were undeniably a big part of this game: and Belpa won that battle. The game started with a nice pace, Belpa stricking early with a screened shot finding the back of the net. Sierre did not let up, scoring back-to-back tallies mid-way through the first to take a 2-1 lead. Belpa, however, would not give in, with two goals by Alessio Faina to end the frame, gave them a 3-2 lead heading into the intermission. Sierre came out strong in the second, they quickly tied the game and eventually took a 5-4 lead mid-way through the period. This is where Belpa took over. With numerous of minor penalties being handed out and a handful of misconducts, Belpa took this opportunity to slide two past the Sierre goalie to take a 6-5 lead into the third period. With neither team having more then a one goal cushion in the game, Belpa decided to step it up a notch in the final frame and left Sierre where they belong. Belpa scored six goals in the period making the final 12-5 for the home side. It was a great third period for Belpa, who now have only conceded one third period goal in the last four games. A great stat that will win you games but Belpa knows they must work harder come playoff time and make every effort to stay out of the penalty box.

It was a great effort by the Belpa squad who are the only team to have beaten Sierre twice this season and sending an early message for their potential semi-final playoff meeting. "It's always nice to see how big the tree is and how much harder it falls", says Belpa forward Ronny Strähler, referring to the attitudes of the Sierre players. With the season now over it was time to re-focus our energy to our first round opponent SHC Bonstetten-Wettswil, with the first game to be played on March 30 in Belp.