On Tuesday, EVZ returned to winning ways in Rapperswil. They will now be looking to carry this momentum into their next away match in Geneva on Sunday (14:00). After a disappointing start to the season, the Grenats are now in fine form.

Following two convincing wins to kick off the season, EVZ suffered defeats against HC Lugano and the SCL Tigers that were certainly avoidable. This made their response all the more important on Tuesday in the Hirzel derby against the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. Following the convincing 5–2 away win, coach Lauri Marjamäki described it as the best opening period since he took charge in Zug.

The victory was accompanied by several firsts: in goal, Mathieu Croce enjoyed a more than successful debut, whilst Jacob Moverare and Nik Petrovic also celebrated their first goals for EVZ.

Mike Künzle and Lino Martschini, who have been out with long-term injuries, are still unavailable for the game in Geneva. The situation is different for Dominik Kubalík, as well as David Sklenička and Elia Riva, who have recently been ill; a return for them is in sight.

Genève-Servette certainly imagined their start to the new season would be very different. After three matches, the team from Geneva found themselves at the bottom of the table. However, the 2023 champions then racked up four consecutive wins and now sit second in the table. On Wednesday, however, they lost a spectacular and heated derby against Lausanne 5–6 after a penalty shoot-out. During the match, top scorer Jesse Puljujärvi – the league’s second-highest scorer – was caught up in the heat of the moment and delivered a check to the head. As a result, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Puljujärvi by the league, and his availability for Sunday’s match is in doubt.

When it comes to the clash against Geneva, the year 2021 inevitably springs to mind for many EVZ fans. In the final series back then, they prevailed without suffering a single defeat and brought the trophy back to Zug after 23 years. In the semi-final two years later, however, the team from western Switzerland got their own back and won the series. Last season, the head-to-head record was even, with both teams winning two matches each.

It is likely to be a special match for both Eric Schneller and Mathieu Croce. Schneller spent the last few years in Geneva, racking up over 70 NL appearances. Croce, for his part, is a local boy, but moved to Davos when he was just 15.