It was a rollercoaster of emotions for EVZ last weekend. On Friday came the long-awaited return to the OYM Hall, which was crowned with a commanding 4–1 victory over Lausanne. On Saturday, however, came the setback. In Biel, just about everything went against the Zug side, resulting in a bitter 0–5 defeat. So there was certainly plenty of anticipation as to how Lauri Marjamäki’s team would perform against Lugano on Tuesday.

Up until the 25th minute, many an EVZ fan was probably wondering whether the defeat in Biel had left a deeper mark than anticipated. After a cautious start, Lugano led 1–0 – a lead they had earned. But what followed was pure class. Thanks to four goals in the space of eight minutes, Zug turned the game around, with the final score showing a 7–2 victory. Vinzenz Rohrer and Sven Senteler, each scoring two goals, stood out in particular – and not for the first time this season. They are also the ones leading the club’s internal scoring charts. Rohrer has 13 points (7 goals), closely followed by Senteler with 12 points (also 7 goals).

It is therefore no coincidence that both have been called up for their national teams this week. Alongside Senteler, Jan Cadieux’s squad features two further EVZ players: Tobias Geisser and Gregory Hofmann. As expected, Rohrer has been called up for Austria. The national team quintet is completed by Nik Petrovic, who has been selected for Slovenia.

Meanwhile, there have been no changes to the squad since Tuesday. Eric Schneller, Chris Egli, Lino Martschini and the long-term injured Lukas Bengtsson will not be making a comeback before the international break.

The SCL Tigers can certainly be described as the team of the moment. When the Emmental side visit the OYM Hall on Friday evening, they will do so as the league’s second-placed team. Coach Thierry Paterlini has been at the helm for five years now, and the club is characterised by a high degree of continuity in other respects too. This is reflected on the ice this season. On Tuesday, the Tigers thrashed Lausanne 9–2 (!) away from home, followed by a 4–2 home win over last year’s champions, Fribourg.

The squad impresses with a good mix of foreign key players and Swiss players who have regained their form. The two former EVZ players, Jerome Bachofner and Nando Eggenberger, certainly count among them. For EVZ, Friday’s match is not just about consolidating their strong form (four wins from their last five matches). It is also an opportunity to take revenge for the unnecessary away defeat in September, when they let a 2–0 lead slip away.

EVZ’s first three-match week will be rounded off on Saturday with an away fixture in Bern. SCB actually boasts an even higher points average (1.667) than its cantonal rival; only Ambri, Zug and the ZSC Lions have a higher average. It was indeed the ZSC who handed the Bernese a defeat on home ice on Tuesday. Nevertheless, after a few rather disappointing years, Serge Aubin’s team seems to be on the right track this season. With this in mind, both matches during the Bern weekend can confidently be described as top-of-the-table clashes for the EVZ.

There’s good news this week, not just on the ice but off it too. Our home-grown player Robin Antenen has extended his contract early by two years, until the summer of 2029. It’s great to have you staying with us, Robin!