On September 9, 18-year-old Dorian Moret received his first call-up to the National League – he had not previously trained with the first team and was thrown in at the deep end due to last-minute absences in defense. In his first game at the professional level, he had to settle for a place on the bench, but last weekend in Lugano he already had 9:28 minutes of ice time, and at home against Langnau he even played 17:43 (!) minutes and provided the second assist for Dominik Kubalik’s goal to make it 3-0.

«Dorian has performed very well. He comes across as confident and cheeky. I really hope he can continue to play at this level.»

Michael Liniger, Head Coach EVZ

Morets head coach for the U21 Elite team, with whom the Lausanne native started the season, also has nothing but praise for the youngster. “He took a big step forward in his personal development over the summer, his behavior is very professional every day, and he is a great role model for the younger players,” enthuses Reto Suri. “He is a physically strong defender who remains calm even under pressure.”

The right-handed shooter is getting his chance because three regulars in Zug’s defense are currently out of action. Dominik Schlumpf will not be able to return to the squad for several weeks, nor will Lukas Bengtsson, whose foot injury turned out to be more serious than originally thought. Elia Riva’s condition will be reassessed by doctors this week.

Head coach Liniger is in a combative mood: “Now we have to stick together even more closely as a team. We have other defenders in the squad who have their qualities. The responsibility is now spread across several experienced shoulders, and the young players are working hard every day for their chance in the first team.” The team currently has six healthy imports, even though EVZ will have to do without Tomáš Tatar on Tuesday evening against Fribourg. The Slovakian received a game misconduct penalty in overtime against Langnau and was suspended for one game by the disciplinary committee. 

With Fribourg, two youngsters are also returning to Zug who had left EVZ for the city on the Saane at the start of this season. Attilio Biasca and Ludvig Johnson both scored on their debut for the Dragons – Biasca scored the game-winner in the 3-2 overtime victory against Lugano after Johnson had equalized for Fribourg in the 54th minute. The two are likely to be particularly fired up on their return to the OYM hall.