Both teams want to make up for the year that ended with a defeat. The EVZ lost 2-1 to HC Fribourg-Gottéron, while the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers lost 4-1 to the ZSC Lions. Prior to that, the St. Gallen team had won three games in a row, including home games against Fribourg-Gottéron and SC Bern. This means that the Lakers have now scored as many points in 16 games in front of their own fans as the EVZ in the BOSSARD Arena (30).

The St. Galler Kantonalbank Arena has not been a good place for the Zug team in the recent past. They lost their last two games with 3:4 and 1:3 after weak performances. The defeat last fall was particularly bitter: EVZ turned around a 0:2 deficit, but ultimately still traveled home without points.

The SCRJ Lakers recently announced that they have extended Bobby Nardella’s contract until the end of the season. The US defenseman joined the team in the fall as the eighth foreigner due to numerous injuries. They also signed another foreign forward, Tanner Fritz, shortly before the end of the year. After a long injury break, the 33-year-old got some game practice with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, where he scored a goal.

EVZ is missing five participants in the U20 World Championship: Nic Balestra, Ludvig Johnson, Leon Muggli, Robin Antenen and Loris Wey. They are in the quarter-finals with Switzerland, with the USA awaiting them on Thursday. The Zug team played a big part in Switzerland’s progress. Ludvig Johnson and Robin Antenen scored two and one goal respectively in the 3:1 victory in the decisive group game against Kazakhstan.