Zug’s oldest juniors ended the season with a medal win. They defeated HC Davos 5:0 in the game for third place at the OYM. Goalie Santo Simmchen celebrated a shutout, the goals were scored by Gian Körner (2), Luc Bachmann, Nic Balestra and Ludvig Johnson. Striking: The first two goals were scored in overtime – the power play had not been Zug’s main discipline before. “We wanted to say goodbye with a clean performance, and we managed to do that. The boys showed a good game,” said a delighted EVZ Head Coach Thomi Derungs.
In the playoffs, Zug had prevailed in the quarter-final series in the decisive fifth match against the Fribourg-Gottéron Young Dragons. In the semi-final series, the Zug team were outsiders against the stronger GCK Lions – despite an excellent qualification with 106 points and first place. The Zurich team confirmed their role as favorites, winning 3:0 and thus preventing the EVZ from successfully defending their title. While it still looked like a clear-cut affair after the first game – the GCK Lions had won 7:1 – the Zug team put up fierce resistance in the following game. They lost the second game 3:2 after conceding a goal in the 59th minute and lost the third game 2:1 after overtime.
Head coach Thomi Derungs’ team won the bronze medal against HC Davos.
In the first two games, the ratio of NL- or SL-experienced players was clearly in favor of the GCK Lions, in the last one it was almost even. The Zurich team had eleven players with experience in the highest or second-highest league. On the Zug side, Santo Simmchen, Robin Antenen, Leon Muggli, Nic Balestra, Loris Wey, Mischa Geisser, Attilio Biasca, Colin Lindemann and Ludvig Johnson were nine players with experience in the top league. However, five of them had the previous day’s match with the NL team at HC Davos in their legs and minds when they were eliminated. “Of course, this double burden was noticeable, but the boys did their best,” says Thomi Derungs. What annoys him more is that “the team didn’t push itself to its limits at the start of the series. We could have challenged the GCK Lions more.”
Despite this disappointment, the U20 Elite Team was able to muster the necessary concentration for the Bronze Medal Game and end the season with a sense of achievement.
