Article
Labanc double powers Rapperswil-Jona to emphatic 7-2 win over Ceske Budejovice at Lehner Cup
Match report: Kevin Labanc's double leads Rapperswil-Jona Lakers to a 7-2 pre-season friendly victory over Ceske Budejovice at the 14th Lehner Cup in Sursee, Switzerland.
SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers ran riot in Sursee on Friday evening, hammering Banes Motor \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice 7-2 in their opening match of the 14th Lehner Cup. Kevin Labanc scored twice and set up another as the Swiss National League side recovered from an early deficit to overwhelm the Czech visitors, who exit the pre-season tournament without a win.
How it unfolded
\u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice struck first. Marek Zachar opened the scoring at 5:51 of the first period, converting a feed from V\u00e1clav Nedorost to give the Czech side a 1-0 lead.
Rapperswil flipped the game inside three minutes. Kevin Labanc equalised at 8:56 \u2014 a shorthanded strike while Jan Ordo\u0161 sat in the penalty box. Then Nico D\u00fcnner put the Lakers ahead at 12:53, redirecting a Dominic Lammer pass past the Bud\u011bjovice goaltender.
The second period belonged entirely to Rapperswil. Labanc grabbed his second of the night at 20:29, just 29 seconds into the frame, with Lawrence Pilut and Lammer providing the assists. Marlon Graf made it 4-1 at 29:14, again set up by Pilut.
Jakub Pour gave the visitors brief hope early in the third period, scoring at 41:34 from Michal Bul\u00ed\u0159 and Jan \u0160tencel to cut the deficit to 4-2. But Rapperswil replied with three unanswered goals: Gian-Marco Wetter at 47:10 (Daniil Ustinkov, Yannick-Lennart Albrecht), Valentin Hofer at 52:39 (Victor Rask) and Fabrice Herzog at 57:15 (Labanc, Nicklas Jensen) to seal the 7-2 rout.
The turning point
Labanc's shorthanded equaliser at 8:56 fundamentally shifted the game's trajectory. \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice had started confidently and punished a Jacob Larsson cross-checking penalty through Zachar's opener. But when Labanc beat the Czech defence while the Lakers were a man down, the momentum swung decisively. Rapperswil scored twice more before the first intermission and never looked back.
Key performers
Kevin Labanc (SCRJ) \u2014 Two goals, one assist, including the pivotal shorthanded equaliser. The former NHL forward (San Jose Sharks, 2016\u20132024) showed his class, driving the Lakers' offence throughout.
Lawrence Pilut (SCRJ) \u2014 Two primary assists from the blue line, both in the second-period surge that broke the game open at 3-1 and 4-1.
Nico D\u00fcnner (SCRJ) \u2014 The go-ahead goal at 12:53, scored even-strength, which gave the Lakers a lead they never surrendered.
Marek Zachar (CEB) \u2014 Scored the opening goal and was one of the few bright spots for the Czech side on a difficult night.
By the numbers \u2014 interpreted
Rapperswil's 7-2 victory reflected a penalty-heavy but clinical performance. The Lakers drew six penalties to Bud\u011bjovice's four, and each team converted one power-play opportunity. Crucially, Rapperswil also scored a shorthanded goal (Labanc), a margin that underscored their decisiveness in transition. The 6-4 penalty disparity suggests \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice's discipline faltered as the game slipped away, particularly in the second period where two bench minors for too-many-men disrupted their rhythm.
What it means
Rapperswil-Jona (1-0 in Lehner Cup play) head into their second tournament match against the N\u00fcrnberg Ice Tigers on Sunday 30 August at 16:00. A win would give them a strong claim to the pre-season cup.
\u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice finish their Lehner Cup campaign without a point, having lost 3-0 to EV Zug on Thursday and 7-2 to Rapperswil on Friday. The Czech Extraliga side return home having conceded 10 goals across two outings in Sursee.
Verdict
A thorough dismantling. Rapperswil-Jona's depth \u2014 seven different goal-scorers \u2014 and ability to score in all situations (even strength, power play, shorthanded) will encourage head coach Stefan Hedlund. For \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice, the defensive structure that held EV Zug to three goals on Thursday unravelled completely 24 hours later.