After five home victories, HC Lugano loses a home game for the first time this season - and immediately with 1:5 against Zug. These are the facts of Tuesday's games.
In the five home games so far, Lugano had always won and not even conceded a point. Players who used to wear the Lugano shirt played key roles in the turnaround from 0:1 to 5:1: Elia Riva equalized for the Central Swiss side, and Gregory Hofmann put Zug ahead after 26 minutes. Riva had an outstanding game with three goals and a plus-3 rating. EV Zug is slowly finding its rhythm and has jumped from 11th to 7th place in the table.
Ambri's late turnaround
Ambri-Piotta needed a bit of luck to win 5:4 on penalties against the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. The Leventines were trailing 3:4 until 69 seconds before the end, although they had previously led three times. Dominik Kubalik then tied the game 4-4 with his seventh goal of the season with six against five players. In the penalty shootout, Ambri goalie Gilles Senn outplayed Lakers keeper Melvin Nyffeler: Senn saved all the penalties, while Nyffeler was unable to save any (3 goals against, 1 attempt on the post). The Lakers have lost all penalty shootouts this season (2); Ambri-Piotta have won all of them so far (3).
Defeat also under Vauclair
After 32 minutes in Ajoie - Fribourg-Gottéron (1:3), the effect of Monday's change of coach fizzled out. In the first game after the Wohlwende era, Ajoie led 1-0 until the 32nd minute thanks to a shorthander by Anttoni Honka. Lucas Wallmark and Christoph Bertschy then turned the game around within 58 seconds. It was Bertschy's first goal of the season. Bertschy doubled the lead with a shot into the empty net.
Match telegrams:
Lugano - Zug 1:5 (1:1, 0:1, 0:3)
5014 spectators. - SR Piechaczek (GER)/Hungerbühler, Cattaneo/Altmann. - Goals: 3rd Canonica (Joly, Reichle) 1:0. 5th Riva (Hofmann) 1:1. 26th Hofmann (Carlsson, Olofsson/powerplay goal) 1:2. 48th Wingerli (Stadler) 1:3. 59th (58:22) Vozenilek (Riva) 1:4 (into the empty net). 60th (59:03) Senteler (Riva) 1:5 - Penalties: 2 times 2 minutes each. - PostFinance top scorers: Joly; Vozenilek.
Lugano: Huska; Jesper Peltonen, Alatalo; Hausheer, Mirco Müller; Aebischer, Guerra; Meile; Joly, Verboon, Carr; Fazzini, Arcobello, Patry; Zanetti, Canonica, Reichle; Cormier, Marco Müller, Sekac; Aleksi Peltonen.
Zug: Wolf; Muggli, Carlsson; Hansson, Stadler; Geisser, Riva; Balestra; Martschini, Kovar, Vozenilek; Biasca, Leuenberger, Eggenberger; Wingerli, Olofsson, Hofmann; Simion, Senteler, Herzog; Wey.
Remarks: Lugano without Dahlström, Morini, Thürkauf, Zohorna and van Pottelberghe (all injured), Zug without Genoni, Schlumpf (both injured), Künzle (suspended) and Bengtsson (sick). Lugano without a goalkeeper from 57:32 to 58:22.
Ajoie - Fribourg-Gottéron 1:3 (1:0, 0:2, 0:1)
Pruntrut. - 4203 spectators. - SR Gerber/Tscherrig, Gnemmi/Bichsel. - Goals: 15. Honka (shorthanded goal!) 1:0. 33. (32:05) Wallmark (Sörensen) 1:1. 34. (33:03) Bertschy (Gunderson, Mottet) 1:2. 60. (59:41) Bertschy (DiDomenico) 1:3 (into the empty net). - Penalties: 4 times 2 minutes against Ajoie, 3 times 2 minutes against Fribourg-Gottéron. - PostFinance top scorers: Turkulainen; Sörensen.
Ajoie: Conz; Fischer, Brennan; Honka, Fey; Maurer, Nussbaumer; Thiry; Veckaktins, Palve, Romanenghi; Turkulainen, Devos, Nättinen; Sopa, Frossard, Pedretti; Pouilly, Rundqvist, Bozon; Robin.
Fribourg-Gottéron: Berra; Gunderson, Jecker; Diaz, Borgman; Sutter, Streule; Rathgeb; Sörensen, Wallmark, Schmid; Sprunger, Bertschy, Nicolet; DiDomenico, De la Rose, Dorthe; Näf, Walser, Gerber; Mottet.
Remarks: Ajoie without Garessus, Hazen and Schmutz (all injured), Fribourg-Gottéron without Dufner, Marchon (both injured) and Etter (suspended). Ajoie without a goalkeeper from 58:38 to 59:41.
Rapperswil-Jona Lakers - Ambri-Piotta 4:5 (1:2, 1:0, 2:2, 0:0) n.P.
4275 spectators. - SR Borga/Mollard, Bürgy/Meusy. - Goals: 13. De Luca (Landry) 0:1. 20. (19:09) Strömwall (Baragano) 1:1. 20. (19:59) Grassi (Heed) 1:2. 34. Strömwall (Aberg) 2:2. 48. Kostner (Curran, Douay) 2:3. 54. Gerber (Dünner) 3:3. 58. (57:23) Strömwall (power play goal) 4:3. 59. (58:51) Kubalik (Virtanen, Heed) 4:4 (no goalkeeper). - Penalty shootout: Heed -, Jensen -; Bürgler 0:1, Strömwall -; Kubalik 0:2, Moy -; Pestoni 0:3. - Penalties: 1 times 2 plus 5 minutes (Capaul) plus playing time (Capaul) against Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, 2 times 2 minutes against Ambri-Piotta. - PostFinance top scorers: Jensen; Virtanen.
Rapperswil-Jona Lakers: Nyffeler; Baragano, Gerber; Maier, Henauer; Capaul, Holm; Bisig; Moy, Rask, Jensen; Hofer, Taibel, Alge; Wick, Dünner, Aberg; Strömwall, Albrecht, Wetter; Zangger.
Ambri-Piotta: Senn; Heed, Pezzullo; Virtanen, Zaccheo Dotti; Wüthrich, Curran; Terraneo; Zwerger, Heim, Kubalik; Bürgler, Maillet, Lilja; Pestoni, Landry, De Luca; Grassi, Kostner, Douay; Müller.
Remarks: Rapperswil-Jona Lakers without Djuse, Jelovac, Lammer, Larsson and Quinn (all injured), Ambri-Piotta without Ang, Isacco Dotti, Juvonen and Muggli (all injured). Ambri-Piotta without a goalkeeper from 57:52 to 65:00.
SDA
