SCB Women’s Team Poised to Win Championship Title Against ZSC in Thrilling Rematch

Last year’s women’s playoff final was a thriller. The decision was only made in the 5th game. SCB’s predecessor team BOMO Thun was leading 2-0 until the 49th minute, but ZSC equalized at the last moment and won the game in extra time and thus the championship. That was annoying, say Estelle Duvin and Maija Otamo, the two best scorers in the Women’s League.

This year the Frenchwoman and the Finnish woman and their team want to close the bag. The final opponent is again the ZSC. The two teams met four times in qualifying and won twice each. In the last ten seasons, the championship title has gone to Zurich six times. “They’re used to winning,” says Duvin. As a result, the people of Zurich would have the right mindset, but would also be under a lot of pressure. The SCB, on the other hand, can only win and that drives the team.

Everything is better in Bern

The chances that the title will go to Bern this time are good. BOMO Thun has joined SCB this season. This means that the Bernese women have strong structures behind them and worlds better training conditions than in Thun. It starts with your own wardrobe and continues
With access to the weight room in the Postfinance Arena, they are less exposed to the weather during training and – most importantly: they have better training times. While in Thun they had to use the very last slot from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., the times in Bern are more pleasant and the distances are shorter for foreign players.

The change was initiated by Jakob “Köbi” Kölliker, a former national team player and former coach, including the German men’s national team, who has been the SCB women’s sports director since the beginning of the year. “We would no longer exist without the change,” he is convinced. The financial and structural problems were huge.

He believes his team can win the championship. Not least because of the “model players” Estelle Duvin and Maija Otamo. All-rounder Duvin and “Sniper” Otamo played together in Turku for two years in Finland and came to Thun together last season. «We liked that BOMO was a team that still had potential. Where we can make a difference,” says Otamo. They also liked the city.

Constantly good and hungry

They both really made and continue to make a difference. They took the top two places in the scorers’ list in the Women’s League last season and helped propel BOMO to the final. This season they are once again at the top of the top scorer ranking, and Duvin and Otamo also made a significant contribution to the SCB women’s first cup win this February. Anyway, the SCB women played consistently well this season, says sports director Kölliker, only rarely lost and are hungry for revenge against ZSC. Duvin and Otamo also say they have a good feeling.

And if you don’t manage to win the title this year, you’ll have the chance again next year. Both Duvin and Otamo were able to extend their contracts with SCB early and will continue to score goals next season. However, the two will not spend the summer in Bern; the contracts only cover the season itself, not the break in between. Estelle Duvin plays on the French national team and will play in the World Cup in Austria in April. Maija Otamo returns home to Finland and sells air conditioning systems in her parents’ business.

Finals

Sat, March 16, 4 p.m

PostFinance Arena Bern

Sun, March 17th, 2:30 p.m

SwissLife Arena Zurich

Wed, March 20, 8 p.m

PostFinance Arena Bern

Possibly.

Sat, March 23rd, 2:30 p.m

SwissLife Arena Zurich

Sun, March 24th, 1:00 p.m

PostFinance Arena Bern

2024-03-13 11:16:30
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