A few weeks ago, Kristina Kontny had to grapple with the idea that her ice hockey career might be coming to an end. After ten seasons and a few games in the current season, the 37-year-old saw no future for herself in the ZSC Lions organization, with whom she had celebrated three Swiss championship titles. EVZ head coach Daniel Diaz reacted immediately when he heard about this. She sought a conversation with the forward and convinced her to sign on until the end of the season. “I’ve known Kristina for a long time. She has a great mindset and fits perfectly into our team,” says Daniela Diaz about this lightning transfer. “A disappointment turned into an absolute stroke of luck,” Kristina Kontny rejoices after a short period of adjustment in Zug. “It’s special how strong the community spirit is here and how much the organization supports women’s hockey. I’m grateful to be a part of it,” says the German-American, adding with a laugh: “I feel like I’m in Disneyland, that’s how happy I am right now.”
She had less reason to celebrate in her first game with her new team. Last Saturday, Zug lost 1-2 to champions SC Bern after overtime. “We lost, but we did a lot of things right,” says Kristina Kontny, who works as a teacher at an international school in Zurich. She hopes to celebrate her first victory in an EVZ jersey on Thursday – knowing full well that their opponents HC Ambrì-Piotta were the first team to defeat Zug this season. The Ticino team remain the closest challengers to the leaders in the PostFinance Women’s League table, trailing by just five points. The Zug newcomer expects an intense game at the OYM Hall (starting at 7:30 p.m.). The same applies to the second upcoming game: On Saturday, Kristina Kontny and her teammates will travel to HC Davos Ladies (6 p.m., Zondacrypto Arena).
