Rapperswil-Jona vs Zug

The match was effectively over inside the first 12 minutes. Zug capitalised on an early powerplay — Kubalik's opener — and never eased off. Rapperswil, playing their second friendly in as many days after a 7-1 loss to EHC Kloten, simply could not handle Zug's speed and structure.

Gregory Hofmann was the architect-in-chief, registering four assists across the first three periods. Tomas Tatar chipped in with one goal and three assists. Dominik Kubalik scored twice inside the opening 16 minutes and added an assist.

Mathieu Croce played the full 60 minutes in goal for Zug, keeping a shutout until Moy's strike with under 10 minutes remaining.

Three EVZ debutants found the scoresheet: Schneller (defence), Rohrer (centre) and Gredig (forward). Rohrer, deployed as a centre by Marjamäki — "the player type we were looking for in that position," the coach said — looked particularly sharp.

Rapperswil's Tyler Moy scored the lone home goal, their only bright spot on a difficult afternoon.

The 8-1 scoreline tells a story of total control. Zug scored four goals in each of the first two periods and never trailed. Rapperswil's single third-period goal prevented Croce's shutout but never threatened a comeback. The Lakers had been on the wrong end of a 7-1 scoreline against EHC Kloten the previous day, suggesting a squad still building fitness and sharpness.

Zug's discipline in front of goal — converting early, often and across all four lines — will encourage Marjamäki as he implements his system.

This was the first pre-season fixture for both sides ahead of the 2026-27 National League season. Zug travel to Neumarkt, Italy next weekend for the Dolomiten Cup, where they face Eisbären Berlin on 22 August followed by a double-header against Augsburger Panther and HC Kometa Brno on 23 August.

Rapperswil continue their pre-season with a home friendly against Motor Ceske Budejovice on 28 August.

Zug were without injured quartet Lino Martschini, Elia Riva, Mike Künzle and Chris Egli (meniscus surgery).

Pre-season results demand context, but Zug's performance was as emphatic as the scoreline suggests. The new-look roster — under a new coach, with debutants contributing goals — clicked from the opening shift. Rapperswil, still searching for rhythm after consecutive heavy losses, will take more from the fitness minutes than the result.