“We live a winning mentality”

EVZ celebrated wins number 25 and 26 in the 28-game regular season of the PostFinance Women’s League on the final weekend. One day after the 1:0 win at the ZSC Lions, the Zug team won 4:0 against HC Davos Ladies on Sunday, with captain Lara Stalder scoring the last goal. She has won the league’s scoring ranking – with 53 points in 27 matches, followed by Ivana Wey (48) and Rahel Enzler (47). EVZ is also top of the league in the attendance statistics. As in the 2024/25 promotion season, it once again has the highest fan attendance. The average rose from 1004 to 1313 fans per game. At the end on Sunday, 3001 fans created a great atmosphere at the Family Day in the OYM Hall. The top game in mid-January against HC Ambrì-Piotta was even attended by around 3800.

“The EVZ fans are fantastic. We all really feel the atmosphere and the support they bring to the OYM hall and also to away games,” says Laura Fuoco. The 22-year-old Canadian joined the team from the NCAA after the turn of the year. At 1.80 metres, she is the tallest player in the squad and is assertive. She therefore sees her role as screening in front of the opponent’s goal, among other things. She demonstrated this recently when she positioned herself in the slot against Davos and scored the 2:0. She also reads the game very well – and that’s no coincidence: back home in Canada, she coached the Etobicoke Dolphins U15AA team with her brother Mike.

Laura Fuoco first had to get used to the larger ice rink and the differences in speed and body play compared to the NCAA. She quickly succeeded. She scored a goal in her very first match and lifted a trophy in her fourth game: the Cup. “We are talented and have a winning mentality,” she realised. She has also already experienced the great solidarity at the EVZ: “The team and the whole organisation have given me a fantastic welcome since I arrived and have helped me with any questions I have.” She lives in Cham, next door to her team-mates.

Laura Fuoco likes to spend her free time baking and hiking. She will have a little more time for this in the coming weeks, as the championships are on hold due to the Olympic Games. From 6 March, she and the Zug team will be competing in the play-off semi-final for their second major goal of the season, the championship title. SC Bern has also already qualified for the semi-finals. Their opponents will be determined from 28 February in the pairings HC Ambrì-Piotta v HC Davos Ladies and HC Fribourg-Gottéron Ladies v ZSC Lions.