Given that Mats Alge suited up for SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the National League since the start of the Swiss League playoffs, he was not allowed to play for EHC Winterthur last Tuesday. The single judge has thus decided that EHCW's 4:0 win is converted into a forfeit defeat. Therefore, HC La Chaux-de-Fonds now leads the playoff quarter-final series 3-1.
Team manager Christian Weber does not hesitate to take the blame: "It's my fault, I take full responsibility." As revealed to Blick, this happened because Weber had an old rulebook in mind and did not read the new one properly. "I'm extremely sorry for everyone in Winterthur for making such a blunder. I'm almost going crazy over it. It's terrible" continues Weber.
CEO Alexander Keller acknowledges the mistake and apologizes to the fans and the sponsors: "This defeat under the rules hurts us all very much. We made a mistake that shouldn't have happened. We all know that our team fought for its second home win through its performance and was the deserved winner. We would like to take this opportunity to apologize for the mistake to the entire EHCW family."
