The Rapperswil-Jona Lakers win the only Sunday game in the National League. The team from St. Gallen beat Lugano 3-0 and moved six points clear of the Ticino side in the table.
Robert "Bobby" Nardella scored the winning goal five minutes before the first siren. The 28-year-old American - who was still an overage foreigner on Friday - scored for the second time in his sixth game for the Lakers. After a pass from top scorer Malte Strömwall, he outfoxed Niklas Schlegel with a shot from a tight angle. The visitors were without a goalie in the final minutes, which the home team exploited to score two more goals through Strömwall and Jeremy Wick.
Ivars Punnenovs emerged as the match winner. The Latvian goalie saved all 32 shots on goal and kept a clean sheet for the first time this season.
The team from eastern Switzerland won twice in a row for the first time since September and took revenge on Lugano for the 3-1 defeat in the first duel of the season. The Lakers remain in 8th place in the table, while Lugano slips to 11th.
Telegram and table:
Rapperswil-Jona Lakers - Lugano 3:0 (1:0, 0:0, 2:0)
5723 spectators. - SR Hungerbühler/Ruprecht, Cattaneo/Humair. - Goals: 16. Nardella (Strömwall, Aberg) 1:0. 59. (58:42) Strömwall (Aberg) 2:0 (into the empty net). 60 (59:13) Wick 3:0 (into the empty net). - Penalties: 3 times 2 minutes each. - PostFinance top scorers: Strömwall; Joly.
Rapperswil-Jona Lakers: Punnenovs; Henauer, Holm; Baragano, Nardella; Maier, Jelovac; Capaul; Strömwall, Rask, Aberg; Wick, Dünner, Taibel; Hofer, Alge, Hornecker; Zangger, Moy, Jensen.
Lugano: Schlegel; Schultz, Mirco Müller; Aebischer, Dahlström; Jesper Peltonen, Alatalo; Hausheer; Joly, Zohorna, Carr; Cormier, Marco Müller, Verboon; Fazzini, Arcobello, Patry; Zanetti, Canonica, Reichle; Aleksi Peltonen.
Remarks: Rapperswil-Jona Lakers without Albrecht, Djuse, Lammer, Larsson (all injured), Gerber and Wetter (both sick), Lugano without Guerra, Morini, Thürkauf, van Pottelberghe (all injured), Huska and Sekac (both surplus foreigners). Lugano without goalkeeper from 58:15 to 58:42 and 59:08 to 59:13.
1. ZSC Lions 19/40 (61:42). 2. Davos 21/40 (66:45). 3. Lausanne 21/40 (68:60). 4. Bern 22/36 (72:57). 5. Kloten 21/33 (56:54). 6. Zug 21/33 (73:59). 7. Biel 21/32 (46:46). 8. Rapperswil-Jona Lakers 21/31 (57:61). 9. Fribourg-Gottéron 21/27 (50:59). 10. SCL Tigers 19/25 (39:42). 11. Lugano 19/25 (48:61). 12. Ambri-Piotta 19/24 (49:61). 13. Genève-Servette 17/22 (45:48). 14. Ajoie 20/15 (44:79).
SDA
